ThePower
ofPomona
isPeople

Public Artwork for the Future Pomona Gold Line Station Stephen Farley, Artist

Hall of Gratitude

Dr. Philip Pumerantz

Submitted by Jeff Keating

Phil showed me the power of turning a dream into reality

Dr. Philip Pumerantz was the founding president of Western University of Health Sciences in Downtown Pomona, transforming what was a dying outdoor shopping mall in 1977 — the year he opened the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific — into what is now the most comprehensive graduate health sciences university in the United States, with nearly 4,000 students in nine colleges and 21 programs. WesternU was founded on a philosophy of humanism and compassion, which remain the bedrock values of the university to this day and which Dr. P demonstrated every day through his leadership.

Photos & stories of people from Pomona who made a difference

Gabe showed me the power of courage