William E. Upjohn
William Erastus Upjohn (June 15, 1853 – October 18, 1932) was an American medical doctor, founder and president of The Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company. He was named Person of the Century by the Kalamazoo, Michigan newspaper.
Upjohn was one of twelve children born to Dr. Uriah Upjohn, pioneer doctor, and his wife, Maria Mills Upjohn, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
In 1875, he graduated from the University of Michigan medical school.
Upjohn practiced medicine for 10 years in Hastings, Michigan.
In his home, Dr. Upjohn experimented with ways to improve the means of administering medicine. He invented the easily digested friable pill, for which he received a patent in 1885. In 1886, he founded The Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company in Kalamazoo to manufacture friable pills and served 40 years as company president.
The Brook Lodge Hotel & Conference Resort owes its origins to Dr. W.E. Upjohn, founder of the Upjohn Company. Dr. Will, as he was known, bought the 40-acre (160,000 m2) farm in 1895. One of the original buildings on the property was a creamery, which he soon converted to a summer cottage for himself and his family.
This peaceful country retreat eventually became his preferred location for private and business entertaining. In 1956, Twenty-four years after Dr. Upjohn's death, the Upjohn Company purchased Brook Lodge from the family estate and began its transformation into a full service conference center for the exclusive use of Upjohn employees. Its beautiful surroundings make it a perfect place to hold social events and meetings for guests and employees.
The history of how the buildings on the grounds evolved is just as interesting. During the time that the creamery was being converted to family living quarters, Dr. Upjohn erected a combination garage and guest house in the spot where the Conference Hall now stands. When the Conference Hall was built, the guest house now the Carriage House was moved to its present location. In 1910 Brookside Cottage was built by Dr. Upjohn for his gardener.
Though Dr. Upjohn found his Brook Lodge retreat an ideal location for doing business, he did not like the smell of cooking interfering with his work. So in 1927, he built the Dining Hall which he used for both private and business entertaining. The original carpet in the Dining Hall has since been replaced with a custom design incorporating Dr. Upjohn’s beloved peonies.
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