Vanderbilt Cup Races

“The Emeritus Society is pleased to honor Howard Kroplick. The involvement of Wharton MBAs in products and services that have changed our society is broad and Howard is a prime example,” said McClain Gordon, chair of the 2025 Crandall Citation program.

“It’s wonderful to be recognized by a school you graduated from 52 years ago,” Kroplick said. “Especially when it’s one of the most prestigious schools in the world.”

Each year, The Wharton School Graduate Emeritus Society holds a luncheon as part of the Wharton MBA Reunion Weekend.

Only three alumni are chosen from more than 11,000 eligible graduates. Kroplick sees the award not only as a personal honor but as validation of a long-standing commitment to service. 

“The basis of the award is for people who give back to the community, and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since I sold my company back in 2008,” he said.

Kroplick began his career in business with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, where he worked for nine years as a product and group product manager.

In 1989, he founded Impact Communications, a medical communications firm that would grow to employ 150 people and support pharmaceutical companies in introducing new products. Among his career highlights, helping to launch Viagra, a milestone he joked about in his award acceptance speech to warm applause.

But business success was just the beginning. After selling Impact Communications, Kroplick turned his energy toward preserving the past and shaping the future of his Long Island community.

In 2012, he was appointed Town Historian for the Town of North Hempstead, a role that deepened his engagement in local preservation efforts. He has been a trustee of the Roslyn Landmark Society for over a decade and has served as its president and co-president since 2018.

Under his leadership, the organization has worked to preserve the historic character of Roslyn, a task that Kroplick says is rooted in childhood experiences.

“My father was always interested in history,” he said. “On Sundays, we’d drive around to historic sites on Long Island. That stayed with me.”

Kroplick’s civic resume extends far beyond Roslyn. He served for 19 years on the executive board of the Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center, where he helped launch one of the nation’s first early-stage Alzheimer’s programs, a model now adopted nationwide.

He’s also a former board member of Preservation Long Island and leads the Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation Society, which works to preserve one of America’s first roadways designed for automobiles.

Despite the long list of accomplishments, Kroplick maintains a modest, forward-looking outlook.

“When people retire, they often lose their sense of purpose,” he said. “I tell them, ‘Don’t retire — refocus.’ There are so many ways to help your community. It gives you energy, meaning, and you’re doing something that matters.”

In 2024, Blank Slate Media named Kroplick as an honoree of “Nassau County’s Top Business Leaders,” citing his dedication to nonprofit leadership and community impact.

From corporate boardrooms to historic roadways, Kroplick has remained driven by a simple belief: that success should be shared. Now, with a Crandall Citation in hand and no signs of slowing down, he continues to build a legacy rooted not only in business acumen but in the spirit of giving back.

Also receiving the award were the late Clark Shaifer and James Wilbur.