IL SR2256

Charles R. "Cork" Walgreen III of Lake Forest died on September 26, 2016, at age 80.

Walgreen III had a 58-year career at Walgreens, starting as a stock boy in 1952, earning a pharmacy degree from the University of Michigan in 1958, and serving as CEO from 1971 to 1998 and Chairman until 1999.

He held leadership positions including Vice-President (1968), President (1969), and President and Chief Executive Officer (1971), and remained Chairman Emeritus on the board until 2010.

Walgreen III donated $2 million in 2004 to the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy to establish a professorship researching socioeconomics of health care policies, regulations, and ethics.

The Illinois Senate extends condolences to his surviving family, including his wife Kathleen, six sons, two daughters, 19 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.