Schools
Hale speaker series: roy vagelos
Westfield native Roy Vagelos, former chairman of Merck and Co., will discuss “The Changing Pharmaceutical Industry” in an upcoming talk that is part of the Anne M. Hale Speaker Series.
Vagelos’ speech is set for Wednesday, Oct. 5, at Westfield Memorial Library, 550 E. Broad St. Registration for the talk, which is open to the public, can be made at www.wmlnj.org (click Online Calendar) or by phoning 908-789-4090 Ext. 7951.
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Vagelos joined Merck in 1975 and became a director nine years later. He assumed the titles of president and chief executive office in 1985 and chairman in 1986. He retired from Merck in 1994. Since 1995, he has served as chairman of the board of Regeneron.
The son of Greek immigrants, Vagelos was graduated Phi Beta Kappa in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and earned his medical degree from Columbia. Before moving into the corporate world, he served as a research physician with the National Institutes of Health and later was associated with Massachusetts General Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, He is the author of more than 100 scientific papers.
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Vagelos has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the National Academy of Sciences.
He is the third in the 2011 Hale Series of speakers who are Westfield natives or residents. Previous speakers were Rich Bagger, chief of staff to Gov. Chris Christie, and Dr. Mark Taylor, author of Crisis on Campus. New York Jets’ announcer Bob Wischusen will be the final speaker in November.
The series is named after the late Anne M. Hale, a library patron who was active in Westfield organizations. Funding for the series, hosted by the Friends of Westfield Memorial Library, comes from the Thomas Glasser Foundation and the Anne and Lee Hale Fund.