{"id":110436,"date":"2022-04-29T13:30:26","date_gmt":"2022-04-29T18:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=110436"},"modified":"2022-04-29T13:30:57","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T18:30:57","slug":"alumna-upholds-family-pharmacy-legacy-through-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/alumna-upholds-family-pharmacy-legacy-through-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumna Upholds Family Pharmacy Legacy Through Service"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Wilma Wilbanks (second from right) spends a moment with family members (from left) Virginia Booth Horne; Bob Wilbanks, Wilma’s husband; nephew Emory Booth; and Ellen Ann Johnson, Wilma’s mother. Submitted photo<\/p><\/div>\n

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 For Wilma Wilbanks, pharmacy runs in the family. Both her father and grandfather were pharmacists along with other family members. This made any family get-together a pharmacy affair.<\/p>\n

“I think back to Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Wilbanks said. “For every part of the family that was there, there was a drug store represented.”<\/p>\n

Growing up around so many pharmacists created memorable moments for Wilbanks. She fondly remembers playing with her brother and cousins in her family’s pharmacy, Peoples Drug Store, in Leland.<\/p>\n

“It was like Disneyland to us growing up,” Wilbanks said. “For us children, it was a fun and happy place.”<\/p>\n

With all that positive exposure, it’s no wonder that Wilbanks was inspired to pursue her own pharmacy career. She went on to attend the University of Mississippi<\/a> School of Pharmacy<\/a>, where she received her bachelor’s degree in 1981.<\/p>\n

Her love for the school hasn’t stopped since she graduated. Wilbanks and her husband, Bob, also a UM pharmacy graduate, recently were honored as the school’s 2022 Distinguished Alumni, highlighting their dedication to pharmacy education as preceptors and commitment to the profession.<\/p>\n

After graduation, Wilbanks returned to Leland to begin her career at Peoples Drug Store. She worked alongside her father, Clint Johnson, where she received even more valuable lessons.<\/p>\n

One such lesson was her family’s dedication to community service. Following the example of her mother, father and grandparents, Wilbanks knows that the work of a pharmacist isn’t limited to business hours.<\/p>\n

“In my opinion, pharmacy is a service ministry,” Wilbanks said. “Pharmacy is how you make your living, but service to your community is how you make your life.”<\/p>\n

Wilbanks and her husband live in the Delta town of Cleveland, where she practices pharmacy at Walgreens<\/a>. Wilbanks credits the experience of working with her family for her successful career.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Wilma Wilbanks<\/p><\/div>\n

“I watched how my father practiced, and that’s the way I practice,” Wilbanks said. “That’s the way my grandfather practiced as well.<\/p>\n

“Walgreens not only allows me to practice the way I do; they encourage it. They appreciate the training I got growing up in pharmacy.”<\/p>\n

The family’s pharmacy legacy is continuing with her younger cousin, Emory Booth, who is a first-year Ole Miss student pharmacist. Wilbanks was overjoyed for Booth when she learned about his decision to attend pharmacy school.<\/p>\n

“When he told me he wanted to go to pharmacy school, I was so thrilled,” Wilbanks said. “Pharmacy is such a good life.”<\/p>\n

While Wilbanks has been happy to give Booth valuable advice, she encouraged him to find his own path and fulfillment in the field.<\/p>\n

“I don’t want him to limit himself because the practice of pharmacy is evolving,” she said. “He is so gifted that he can do anything he wants to do.”<\/p>\n

For his part, Booth said that the example displayed by Wilbanks and other members of the family provided all the inspiration he needed.<\/p>\n

“There was never any pressure for me to become a pharmacist, but having exposure to so many pharmacists that I loved and respected really shaped my view of the profession,” Booth said. “Seeing how my personal traits aligned with other people from my family showed me that pharmacy is something I could really enjoy and find success with.”<\/p>\n

Wilbanks’ commitment to service also extends to her membership in the Delta Gamma sorority. As a student, she found that the sorority’s mission to do good lined up with the lessons learned from her family.<\/p>\n

“They really reinforced and validated everything my parents and grandparents taught me about life and service,” she said.<\/p>\n

Wilbanks has remained heavily involved in the sorority over the years and serves as the international president. She plans to continue her work with the organization after her term ends.<\/p>\n

Throughout all the family memories and professional experiences, it’s the opportunity to serve that has made Wilbanks’ career fulfilling.<\/p>\n

“I’ve never gone to bed at night and wondered if I’ve done any good that day,” Wilbanks said. “I always feel gratified when I go to sleep at night because I know that I’ve made a difference.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 For Wilma Wilbanks, pharmacy runs in the family. Both her father and grandfather were pharmacists along with other family members. This made any family get-together a pharmacy affair. “I think back to Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Wilbanks said. “For every part of the family that was there, there was a drug store represented.”Read the story …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":111144,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[495,199,126],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlumna Upholds Family Pharmacy Legacy Through Service - Ole Miss News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/alumna-upholds-family-pharmacy-legacy-through-service\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alumna Upholds Family Pharmacy Legacy Through Service - Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 For Wilma Wilbanks, pharmacy runs in the family. Both her father and grandfather were pharmacists along with other family members. 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