THEN: A man, a vision, and the foundation of a legacy

In honor of MUSC’s Bicentennial Celebration, “Then… Now… Next,” the MUSC College of Pharmacy takes a three-part, then-now-next look at Alycia Araneo Craft and her impact. Her support has made this time a pivotal moment in the college’s history.

Part I: Then.

It was 1934.

Charleston seemed like an unlikely place to start a thriving business, as the city had become a third-rate port with exorbitant rail freight rates. The city’s economic gloom was thickened by the worldwide struggles inflicted by the Great Depression.

On top of which, Charleston’s insular culture had extra layers of resistance when it came to supporting a transplanted Yankee from New Jersey who dared to try an entirely new kind of pharmacy business.

None of it stopped Michael P. Araneo.

Araneo was a pioneer in discount pharmacy. A New Jersey native, he graduated from the Rutgers University Pharmacy School in 1929 and managed three discount drug stores in Jersey City. He moved to Charleston in 1934 and, by all accounts, changed the face of Lowcountry pharmacy.

For nearly two decades his store was the leading drug outlet in the city and when he sold his last store in 1955, it was the largest discount store in the Southeast.

In 1999 Araneo made what was, at the time, the largest gift ever to the Medical University to support MUSC’s Pharmaceutical Development Center, a cutting-edge facility whose dual mission incorporated educational and research opportunities.

But his full legacy at the MUSC College of Pharmacy was only just beginning. It would come to full fruition with his extraordinary daughter and son-in-law, Alycia Araneo Craft and Robert “Bob” Craft.

Read about the impact of Alycia Araneo Craft Part II: Now.

Alycia Araneo Craft Part III: Next

 

The Araneo Craft Story

Naming of Michael P. Araneo Building

Celebration of Michael P. Araneo Building

Michael P. Araneo Lobby

Alycia Craft gift

Araneo Craft family

Alycia Craft and the Heart of Philanthropy