Gloria Niemeyer Francke, was born in Dillsboro, Indiana and she earned a B.S. degree in Pharmacy from Purdue University in 1942 and a Pharm.D. degree in 1971 from the University of Cincinnati. Following service as a community pharmacist in Dillsboro and as assistant to the chief pharmacist at the University of Michigan Hospital she became assistant director of the APhA Division of Hospital Pharmacy 1946-1956, executive secretary of the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists 1949-1960, and research associate for the Audit of Pharmaceutical Service in Hospitals  1956-1964. She then served as a drug literature specialist at the National Library of Medicine 1965-1967; as clinical pharmacy teaching coordinator for the VA Hospital in Cincinnati 1967-1971; secretary of American Institute of the History of Pharmacy 1968-1978; and chief of the program evaluation branch, Alcohol and Drug Dependence Service, Veterans Administration 1971-1975. She rejoined the APhA staff from 1975-1985 and was elected Honorary President in 1986 and received the Remington Honor Medal in 1987. She served as a member of the APhA Foundation Advisory Committee.

Dr. Francke’s journalistic achievements include service as assistant editor of the Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association 1946-1947; associate editor of the American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy 1944-1964; co-author of Mirror to Hospital Pharmacy (1964); and Perspectives in Clinical Pharmacy (1972) She also owned and operated Drug Intelligence Publications.

The Gloria Francke Scholarship is presented annually to one (1) recipient with a scholarship of $1,000.