Celso Cuellar (1941-2024)

College Community Mourns Passing of Alumnus, Mading Society 'Red Coat' and Advisory Council Member

Nov. 22 — The University of Houston College of Pharmacy community is mourning the passing of alumnus and loyal supporter Celso Cuellar, who passed on Nov. 13 at the age of 83.

Celso is survived by his two sisters, Lourdes M. Cuellar, B.S. ('73), M.S. ('79), FASHP, and Nicanora C. Cuellar, and his two beloved cats, Kelly and Lucky, along with many extended family members, colleagues, and former patients and student interns. Celso is preceded in death by his parents, Celso Cuellar, Sr., and Matiana Medina Cuellar, who operated a neighborhood drug store in Celso's native San Antonio, and his adopted brother, Luis S. Cuellar. Celso helped his parents serving customers in the drug store, made deliveries on his bicycle, flipped hamburgers, and made ice cream cones and floats at the store's classic "soda fountain."

After graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1965, Celso started his career at one of the Mading Drugs stores in Clear Lake, Texas, where he had the privilege of meeting many of the early astronauts. He worked for Target Stores until their pharmacies were closed in the early 1980s.

He decided to return to his hometown of San Antonio to open an independent pharmacy for 16 years and to help his parents. Celso returned to working for Target when their pharmacies reopened. He held supervising pharmacist and management positions for both Kmart and Target pharmacies. He assisted in the opening of new Target pharmacies in San Antonio and South Texas. After retirement from Target pharmacy, Celso supported an independent pharmacy, Hill's Drug Store No. 1 in San Antonio, owned by UHCOP classmate Arthur Jamie Siller.

A proud pharmacist, Celso worked tirelessly for over 50 years, contributing to the health and well-being of countless individuals across Texas. Celso earned the rare distinction of receiving a special honorary certificate for 50 years of service from the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. He was a member of the Bexar County Pharmacy Association throughout his career and served countless years as the association’s treasurer.

Celso made significant contributions toward numerous pharmacy scholarships. At UHCOP, Celso served numerous years on the Dean's Advisory Council, a "Red Coat" honoree of the Mading Society of benefactors, and the 2016 recipient of the Alumnus Pharmacist of the Year Award.

Two endowments at UHCOP have been established by the Cuellar family, the Lourdes M. and Nicanora C. Cuellar Presidential Endowed Fellowship and the Celso and Matiana Cuellar Endowed Scholarship, with a third memorial endowment pending. In addition, UHCOP has a dedicated space – the Celso Cuellar and Lourdes M. Cuellar Dean's Conference Room – in recognition of the gifts toward completion of the college’s state-of-the-art home in Health 2. Celso's donations enabled countless students to pursue their academic dreams and careers.

In addition to his support of the college, Cuellar was an ardent supporter of St. Gerard Parish in San Antonio, volunteering personal time and financial resources to its schools, including the parochial high school tuition for children of others in the community.

Celso's legacy will live on in the countless lives he touched, both through his charitable contributions and his example of selfless caring service. He will be remembered for his kindness, faith, and commitment to his customers. In his words, "What always brought me great satisfaction is the one-on-one interaction with the customers and being humbled by the great trust they have in you, especially when you're working in communities, who may not have the financial resources that others have."

In lieu of flowers, the family requested that gifts be made to the UHCOP Celso Cuellar, Jr, Endowed Scholarship.