View Larger Image
Larry and Jan Alman have both served on UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging Community Advisory Board. Image by Bryan Clifton

Inspired by the Past, Larry and Jan Alman Invest in UAMS’ Future

Sept. 6, 2024 | Larry and Jan Alman have abundant affection and concern for the people who make up their community. These feelings are expressed not only in the conviction of their words but also through their commitment to community service and philanthropic investment for the common good.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is grateful to be included in the Almans’ community — a long list of relationships that have been cultivated for many years, several of which were hatched many decades ago by the Almans’ respective families.

The story of the Alman family in Little Rock begins with Larry Alman’s grandfather, Charles Alman who immigrated from Poland in 1905 — Ellis Island was the entry point and Little Rock was the destination. He soon found his niche in the “junk business,” a forerunner to today’s scrap metal and recycling industry.

Developing quite the knack for the business, Charles Alman opened his own operation under the name Charles Alman Waste Materials Company. His son, Sol Alman, who left college to play in the big bands, joined his father’s business due to the elder Alman’s failing health. As time went on, Sol Alman assumed heavier responsibility of the company, eventually acquiring it in 1942 and renaming it Sol Alman Company. Settling down, he married Blanche Schlosberg, and they had two children, Charles and Larry, who would eventually take over management of the company. They sold the company, now named Alman Recycling Company, in 2020. Charles Alman has since retired but Larry Alman has stayed on as president of the company.

“My parents taught me community matters, so be a part of it — they were both incredibly generous,” said Larry Alman. “Taking a cue from them, my mom used to tell people I would give a stranger my toys or the shirt off my back. When we were younger, it was not unusual for my dad to ship 40,000 pounds of copper with just a handshake as the contract. He taught me your word is your worth.”

Jan Alman, nee Phillips, also has deep roots in Little Rock. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Mark Matthias Cohn, also an immigrant from Poland and a business pioneer. He was the legendary founder of the M.M. Cohn Company, a once prominent department store chain headquartered in Little Rock. His son, Albert Cohn, joined the family business and became its president. Upon his death, his wife Marcuse Stifft Cohn inherited the company, and eventually brought in her daughter Miriam and son-in-law Arthur Phillips, Jan Alman’s grandparents, to help run the stores.

It would be the next generation that would help expand the business into a regional operation, as Jan Alman’s father, Arthur “Tad” Phillips, played a prominent role in this growth. Her mother, Sallye Rosen Mann, was heavily active in community endeavors in Little Rock, something that she learned from her father, Louis Rosen, a “self-made man.” Jan Alman’s maternal grandfather was an integral part of many of the organizations that Larry and Jan Alman are involved with to this day.

“Every day I wake up and think about what I can do for somebody else besides myself,” Jan Alman said. “That was really something that my grandparents taught me.”

Living in a small city and having so much in common, it was inevitable that there would be many connections formed between the two families. Both families are Jewish and have been life-long members of Congregation B’nai Israel, where Larry and Jan Alman have attended temple since birth.

Larry and Jan Alman’s shared story begins as classmates at Hall High School, where they ran in the same circle of friends. They didn’t start dating until after they graduated. Both were determined to finish their education and establish their own careers before fully settling down.

“I went to Rollins College in Florida, and he went to Colorado State. Then I worked as a buyer for my family’s company, M.M. Cohn, and he joined his family’s company,” said Jan Alman. “I lived in Houston for a while, and we had a long-distance relationship. I think we got together at the perfect time — we’ve been married for almost 40 years.”

The couple believes it is important to give back to their community. Over the years, they have served with a multitude of Little Rock’s organizations.

“Why is it important to be involved in our community? We want to give back to this community that has given us so much — anything we can do to make Little Rock a better place to live, we’re all in.”

For a variety reasons, UAMS has been an important part of their life. For decades now they have been valued volunteers, both serving on the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging Community Advisory Board. Larry Alman also serves on the UAMS Board of Advisors. The couple, along with many of their family members, have received care at UAMS.

“I remember my dad was one of the first patients in the longevity clinic before the beautiful Center on Aging building was built,” said Larry Alman. “My dad loved great food, but when he lost his appetite, we knew there was a problem. With the longevity team on his side, he was given many more quality years. My mom received excellent care from the Aging Institute as well.”

“About 40 years ago, my dad went to New York for a knee evaluation and was told the best option was at UAMS,” said Jan Alman. “He is still living at age 92 and doing great, but the knee is almost out of warranty.”

The couple found themselves in need of care as they were trying to build a family and experienced fertility issues. As the problem persisted, doctors at UAMS recommended that they work with a fertility expert in New York.

“We traveled there for many years, undergoing several different procedures, but they all failed,” said Jan Alman. “It was really an emotional rollercoaster — it was seven years of traveling and expenses.”

Eventually, the couple decided it would be best to receive treatment back home, and they returned to Little Rock. They are happy that they did — Jan Alman was able to get pregnant and soon gave birth to a girl.

“Sydney is now 28, and funny enough, lives in New York working as a producer for “The Today Show” on NBC, which is incredibly fun,” she said. “And the twist to that is that her fiancée, who she met in New York, just started his fellowship in hematology and oncology at UAMS. So, we like to think that it has all come full circle. He’ll see how she grew up in Little Rock. It kind of gives you goose bumps.”

The Almans continue to receive their general care from UAMS. In December 2022, they had a scare when Larry Alman developed a complex health issue, possibly triggered by an infection from an oven burn.

“I was duck hunting and one morning I woke up and I felt really bad with a high fever and chills, and I told the guys that I had to get back to Little Rock,” he said. “I was thinking that I had the flu, so I got checked for that, COVID and RSV, but they all came back negative.”

Working with Gohar Azhar, M.D., he checked himself into the Institute on Aging for observation. However, his blood pressure was so low that doctors were unable to run a test, and they sent him to the Emergency Department.

Jeanne Y. Wei, M.D., Ph.D., executive director of the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and chairman of the Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatrics in the College of Medicine, played an active role in his treatment.

“Larry’s clinical condition was very strange — the blood tests came back unusual, his symptoms were unusual, and his test results came back unusual — even with several specialists working with him, we couldn’t figure it out at first,” said Wei. “And he ended up having other complications as well. It was such a strange situation.”

Doctors were able to identify that he had developed an infection and sepsis, which traveled to his knee. With the help of several professionals, his health soon improved. In total he was in the hospital for 12 days. After a period of physical therapy and drug therapy for his condition, he made a full recovery.

The Almans were not only grateful with the treatment that they received, but they were also impressed with the advanced care that they had at UAMS, especially the help he received at the Institute on Aging.

“We have world class facilities right here in Little Rock at UAMS — it was just absolutely amazing that we had such good care, and I had so many specialists in so many different areas looking after me,” said Larry Alman. “I am also impressed that somebody over the age of 65 can visit an aging clinic within 60 minutes of where they live anywhere in Arkansas.”

“But really what I think blew both of us away was everybody that you saw loved their job, they loved working at UAMS,” Jan Alman added.

Though the Almans are incredibly thankful for the excellent personalized care they have received from UAMS, it is their inherent belief in supporting their community that drives their philanthropy.

“It was really easy for us to assume a philanthropic role with UAMS because we already saw boots on the ground taking UAMS into the future,” said Larry Alman. “And it’s an Arkansas institution, so of course we wanted to be involved.”

“We realized that UAMS has a tremendous future and whatever role we played we’re going to be part of that future because it is right here at our back door,” said Jan Alman.

The Almans especially wanted to show their appreciation towards the Institute on Aging. In 2023, the Almans established the Jan and Larry Alman Family Endowed Fund for Excellence in the Institute on Aging. It is important that the funds will one day support the strategic initiatives of the institute, as determined by the director.

Both Almans are adamant that the continued growth of UAMS is important for Little Rock and for Arkansas. They hope their involvement with UAMS will stand as their legacy.

“I want to continue experiencing world class health care at UAMS because it supports and strengthens Arkansas,” said Larry Alman. “You look around at what has been built in the last few years, and you get the sense that UAMS is set to keep going and growing for a long time.”

“I think that’s an appropriate legacy for us — to help provide support for the services that so many people need,” added Jan Alman.