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David Penney

Amid the Reunion 2012 celebrations that happened at ������Ƶ from Aug. 8-12, the School of Pharmacy had a special reason to celebrate. This month is also the culmination of the School’s silver anniversary year. Two events were held to mark the occasion, a wine and cheese reception for alumni and friends on Aug. 8 and the annual golf tournament on Aug. 9.

The reception was held in the professional practice lab at the School and provided a unique opportunity to reconnect with staff, faculty, alumni and friends. In a brief address to the group, Dr. Linda Hensman, dean of the School of Pharmacy, spoke about the importance of the pharmacy community’s early support to the founding of the School.

“We often talk about our commitment to community, but our history reveals that as a school it is to the community that we owe our existence,” she said. “The lobbying effort that started in the 1960’s, as well as the early and crucial funding for the School, came from the Newfoundland Pharmaceutical Association and directly from the pharmacists themselves. To them we owe a great debt of gratitude.”

This year the 4^th annual School of Pharmacy golf tournament was also held to coincide with the Silver Anniversary and Reunion 2012 celebrations. On Aug. 9, close to 100 golfers took to the greens at the Baly Haly Country Club in St. John’s for a tournament that has come to enjoy strong support from corporate sponsors and the entire pharmacy community. All funds raised go directly to support student scholarships at the School. This year the tournament raised just over $17,000, adding to a grand total of $40,000 in the endowed scholarship fund. Sharon Tucker works with the School and is the lead organizer for an event that has grown each year since its inception in 2009.

“When we started in 2009, I had high hopes for success, but the growth we’ve experienced in the last four years has been incredible,” she said. “The golfers, corporate sponsors, pharmacists and pharmacy community have really gotten behind this tournament. Scholarships are so important for our students, so when you participate in something like this you are really making a difference in the life of a young person. The students are the big winners and for that reason it’s a wonderful event.”