Honoring

MANNY RAMIREZ

of

Dichter’s Pharmacy

Manny Ramirez has combined the world of pharmaceutical health with that of community activism and established himself as a positive force in the community. He grew up in Inwood and started working at Dichter’s when he was thirteen years old, doing deliveries for 25 cents an hour. After finishing pharmacy school, he came back in 2007 to buy the business after the death of George Liebmann, the owner and his mentor. When, in 2012 the store burned to the ground, Manny, with help from friends in the neighborhood, reopened in the present location. In addition to being one of the last independent pharmacies in the area, Dichter’s has become a community center with many local groups using the basement space – without charge – including UP Theater, Inwood Toy Swap, Preschool on the Planet, The Dichter Pharmacy Poetry Society, the Girl Scouts and many, many others.

UP Theater is proud to honor Manny as our 2017 Upstanding Person of the Year.