In my journey through my world of pharmacy, I have known Legacy Pharmacists from my young pharmacist years all the way to current peers in now, my Legacy years. Each has been faithful to serving a community that has relied on their knowledge base, skills, and compassion. They have been a soothing balm as they have helped one life after another in the course of doing their job . I have been honored to know and work with them, each and all.
When I started in pharmacy, there was basically only pharmacists, and the occasional pharmacy intern behind the dispensing counter. Even in the early advent of adding ancillary help there was no official recognition of helpers behind the counter, and in most stores, they were extremely limited in what they were allowed to do. I remember the debates at meetings where old school diehards argued against having anybody else behind the counter. Part of it was a territorial thing based on a fear of losing some part of their authority. Part of it was safety concerns, real and imagined. Logistics for acceptance of new rules and practice came over the course of time after prolonged debate, and enough time for academia to indoctrinate for impact on the overall thinking. Thus, the advent of the professional pharmacy technician that has evolved to certification and registration, with expectation of educational requirements eventually.
Things have come a far piece, and now I am elbow to elbow with some great Legacy Techs. Techs that have been in the trenches long enough to be in the Legacy years, are just now hitting this mark, so there is not nearly as many of them as pharmacists at this same place in time, but they will soon have much greater numbers.
I say all this to get to the point that when I started thinking about a gallery of real pharmacists that have given their lifetime of service, it occurred to me that I can't imagine running a dispensing counter without good team techs, so as I recognize Legacy Pharmacists, it is natural to also recognize Legacy Techs. It came to me that both Pharmacists and Techs have served over whole careers, and have been heroes to the people they have been responsible to and for.
So, here we go. Heroes it will be. I'll start our gallery. You can add your Legacy Pharmacists and Legacy Techs too. I would like to think having a wall of respect would help with an awareness of what our profession means to the quality of life that we have enjoyed in our communal lives. Please send pictures with descriptions that you would like to add to LegacyPharmacist@gmail.com. We know there are great stories and we would love to hear them!
JT Lindsey owned Lindsey's Rexall Drugs in McKenzie, Tennessee
He was my first pharmacy employer.
Lynda Lankford of
McKenzie, TN worked in several independent pharmacies, and the McKenzie Hospital for many years.
Glen Bush and Nancy Thomas Barksdale Smith 
Nancy Thomas Barksdale Smith
Pharmacist Owner Priest Drug Co., Huntingdon, TN 1967-1981
She was a stickler for the rules,
and she taught this old Legacy Pharmacist how to practice pharmacy secundum artem, secundum naturam, and secundum legem.