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MILWAUKIE, Ore. — The American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists (AAHP) mourns the loss of an industry legend. John (Jack) Borneman, III, grandson of one of the founding members of AAHP, passed away on July 9, 2018.
John Borneman, III
Among the many industry leadership positions he held, Borneman was an integral member of AAHP for 66 years. During his 87 years, and as part of a multigenerational family passionate about providing homeopathic medicines, Borneman contributed to monumental changes in the development of homeopathic drugs and their regulation. Always a champion of medical ethics, he represented and defended homeopathy against uninformed regulation and vanity medical products masquerading as homeopathic.
“I listened to many conversations between Jack and members of the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States (HPCUS), and also between Jack and FDA officials as he forged the underpinnings of today’s regulatory framework for homeopathic drug products. He never wavered from what was best for patients and consumers,” says Mark Land, AAHP President. “Jack’s work at the Pharmacopoeia and representing the industry during the development of the Compliance Policy Guide helped establish the regulatory framework that has served the industry and consumers for more than 30 years.”
As part of his legacy, Borneman was a founding director of HPCUS in 1980, serving as its President until 2008. At HPCUS, Borneman was responsible for the creation of the regulatory structure used to govern homeopathic drug products in the United States, a structure still used today.
“I worked with Jack since the first years of the HPCUS, and even before,” says Eric L. Foxman, pharmacist from Oregon. “He was a tireless leader with a vision of uniting the homeopathic industry behind the manufacture of high quality homeopathic drug products supported by a thorough compendium of clear standards. But all that pales in comparison to my memory of Jack’s lively and entertaining sense of humor that subtly slipped into some of the unlikeliest moments, thus making our work together much lighter.”
In recognition of his many contributions to the field of homeopathy, Borneman was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in 2009. Through the course of his career, he counseled thousands of patients and was the formulator of many of the homeopathic drugs sold in pharmacies and retail stores today.
Born in 1931, Borneman was the eldest of nine children to John A. Borneman, Jr. and Madeleine C. Borneman (nee Henhoeffer) in Norwood, Pennsylvania. A graduate of LaSalle College High School, Borneman was the third of four generations of his family to attend the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy in 1952.
He entered his family business, John A. Borneman and Sons, Homeopathic Pharmacists, and practiced homeopathic pharmacy there until the business was sold to Boiron Laboratories in 1983. Borneman retired from his career at Arrowroot Pharmacy and Standard Homeopathic Company last December at 86, marking a 66-year career as a homeopathic pharmacist.
Borneman married his beloved Nancy Conway in 1952 and raised three children: Maureen (John Devlin), John P. (Anne Marie) and James (Dawn Laurie). He was blessed with five grandchildren who loved him as “Grandad Jack” and four great grandchildren. After his wife Nancy passed away in 2013, he moved to Shannondell in Audubon, Pennsylvania and met his companion, Gillian Sharp.
He wished his work at HPCUS be carried on. Donations in his honor can be made at www.hpus.com or mailed to: HPCUS, Box 87, Bryn Mawr, PA. 19010.