Forty Years of Service To The Pharmacy Profession

“Leroy Weaver retired in 2001 after serving the public.”

 
By Ray Galuzny
June 8, 2009

Leroy C. Weaver, born June 10, 1936 to Roy and Margaret Weaver was an only child and grew up attending Loudonville Schools. At ages 12 and 13, he spent summers with his aunt and uncle on their farm shuttling machinery and crops back and forth between three farms. At age 14, he was able to obtain a work permit and found a job and at a local service station (full service back then) and the following summer worked as an implement dealer where all farm machinery came in crates and needed to be assembled. At age 16, he began working for a local construction company in Loudonville and remained with them through college.

After his graduation from Loudonville High School in 1954, Leroy began to attend Ashland College (now Ashland University) in pre-engineering for one year before transferring to Ohio State University to major in mechanical engineering. The experience of the large campus of 23,000 at that time was overwhelming for him, so Leroy took a year off. With some influence from John Hurst of Hurst’s Pharmacy in Ashland, he enrolled at Ohio Northern University Pharmacy School and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Pharmacy degree in 1961. During those years he remained with the construction company and worked his first pharmacy intern position with Richard Peoples in Loudonville at People’s Pharmacy. It is there that Leroy met Donna Workman, an elementary school teacher, who worked for the Ashland City Schools for 25 years prior to her retirement. They were married in July 1961 and have lived in Ashland ever since. They had 3 children and their daughter Kim, an 18 year employee of Abbott Labs (then Hospira) in Ashland prior to its closing, is the only one still living. She is currently a child support investigator for the Department of Job and Family Services in Ashland County.

After his graduation from Ohio Northern University he worked for Joe Weiss at Weiss Walgreen Agency in Ashland for 5 years, part-time for Samaritan Hospital, 1 or 2 afternoons a week at Glasgo’s Pharmacy, which Jud Clements had purchased from Dick Glasgo. In 1976, Tom Shea asked him to work for Medical Arts Pharmacy, which he had purchased from Emory Marble. Leroy maintained that position for a total of 16 years. He also worked as a floater for a brief period with Wal-Mart in Ashland, Mansfield, Wooster and Millersburg. In 1996, he was offered a full-time position at the hospital by Ann Abele, who was pharmacy director at Samaritan Hospital and currently a compliance officer for the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy in the Cincinnati area. Leroy worked there for 5 years until he retired in 2001 after 40 years of service to the pharmacy profession.

Leroy and Donna have remained active with the First United Methodist Church in Ashland since 1962 and have spent 34 years working with their youth camp program. They do maintenance work, flowers and serve on a rotating basis with liturgy, welcome center and café. He also works with the Agape meals crew doing luncheon or dinners after funerals and receptions. Leroy now volunteers for the Ashland Christian Health Center processing medications through the repository program. Much of his time is taking care of his 92-year mother who lives in Loudonville and suffers from macular degeneration. He was an active member of the Noon Lions Club in Ashland for ten years. He sings with the Ashland Area Chorus housed at Ashland University. He was a student member of American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA) in college and became a member of OSPA after graduation. He continued his affiliation with OPA and the NCOPA. Leroy did serve as secretary of the NCOPA in the 1960’s.

Leroy and his wife, Donna always had plans to travel after retirement but she has had two major back surgeries and still experiences much discomfort. They have traveled to wine country in upstate New York as well as Florida, Cape Cod, Grand Canyon and some shorter 2 to 3 day trips. They mow over 3 acres of lawn and have large flower and perennial beds, which keep them quite busy. They still have a desire to travel to the Northwest through some National Parks and to Seattle to visit friends but he is the first to admit they really enjoy their home in the country.

The members of the NCOPA and his pharmacy colleagues acknowledge his service to the pharmacy profession and extend their best wishes to Leroy and his family for continued good health and enjoyment as he continues his retirement years.