Alum honours exceptional pharmacy students with award in his name

It was 1994, and Dale Daley (BScPh’74) had travelled to Halifax from Ontario just to meet the newest recipient of the Dale Daley Pharmacy Award for Excellence. Although he knew the Dalhousie College of Pharmacy student chosen for this annual honour was exceptional, he could not have anticipated that this particular individual, Jeff Leger (BScPh’95), would go on to become the President of Shoppers Drug Mart.

“We’ve also had recipients who have become community and business leaders, independent pharmacy owners, and clinical leaders in hospital pharmacy, as well as individuals who pursued additional studies in law and medicine,” Daley says.

“There really is no limit to the talent, potential, and impact of the award winners. It’s very rewarding to have my name attached to it and know that it is doing positive things.”

Motivation for excellence

It’s understandable that Daley, who served as a Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist, associate, and executive during a five-decade career, is proud of the award that bears his name and its impact. Since 1990, it has been presented to third-year College of Pharmacy students who demonstrate good academic standing and who contribute to undergraduate life.

“The choice is not based on marks or financial needs,” Daley explains. “It’s based on the leader of the class. I’m a big believer that leaders aren’t necessarily manufactured. But they have to be motivated. When they hear about this award, I want them to say, ‘I’m going to get it.’”

In many ways, the spirit of the award reflects the excellence that Daley aspired to throughout his academic and professional careers. He first discovered his passion for the field when his father arranged a part-time job for him at a neighbour’s pharmacy in Bathurst, N.B.

“It was a very positive environment,” Daley says. “I got to interact with customers and see how prescriptions were filled. There was a real feeling that you were helping people. So, when the owner said, ‘Why don’t you go to school and take up pharmacy?’ I said, ‘That sounds like a great idea.’”

Meeting a need for care

That decision led Daley to Dalhousie’s College of Pharmacy. He liked that its location allowed him to stay somewhat close to home. But it was the College’s welcoming and supportive learning environment that really appealed to him.

“The atmosphere was one where you could meet with your professor, say you needed help, and it was always available to you,” he recalls. “I probably needed that help all four years.”

But Daley graduated ready both to excel and expand his horizons beyond the realm of a practicing pharmacist. Within a year, he became the youngest associate owner of a Shoppers Drug Mart outlet in Canada at age 22. From 1983 to 1989, he was Executive Vice President for the Atlantic Region and led the chain’s expansion from 52 locations in Atlantic Canada to 104.

“I was able to help bring pharmacies to communities that previously had no access to them,” he says. “It was a positive thing to be contributing to the health care of people there.”

During this time, Daley also maintained close ties to the College through its then-director Dr. David  Yung through their work with the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association.

“He was always saying, “You've got to give back,’” Daley recalls. “’You've got to help out in different ways.’ He was a great motivator.”

Supporting a new generation of pharmacists

Drawing on that inspiration, Daley helped establish the Dal Pharmacy Endowment Fund in 1988, which supports programs that enhance both pharmacy education and the future of the profession. Dr. Yung also provided the impetus for creating the Dale Daley Pharmacy Award for Excellence in 1990.

“He knew I was leaving Atlantic Canada,” says Daley, who served as Senior Executive Vice President, Operational Services, at Shoppers Drug Mart’s national office from 1989 until 1998. “We talked about creating an award and tried to figure out how we could do this,” Daley says. “I think we did a pretty good job.”

For Daley, it was important that the award reflect his operating style—contribute to the community, bring together and lead teams, and always strive to be the best. Overall, he says the students who have received the award embody those values. Each year, he and his wife, Kathryn, have made a point of travelling to Halifax to meet recipients like Leger and take them to dinner. These meetings have been rewarding and enlightening experiences for him.

“There are some brilliant, wonderful people who've received the award,” Daley says. “We learn a lot about them through these dinners, but at the same time it’s a lovely thing that our conversation can be an inspiration for what they’re going to do next.”

That raises the question as to what Daley wants to do next. Having retired from practicing pharmacy in January 2024, time with family—which includes his children Jill (BScPh’03), Jennifer (BScPh’04), Jeffrey, and his grandchildren—is his priority. But he is also thinking about the next generation of pharmacy students. Daley and his family have decided to keep the award going, and he authorized an increase in funds awarded so that it continues to support recipients on their paths to success. He hopes the award will not only serve as an inspiration for them to excel, but also for other alumni to think about the ways that they can help.

“Pharmacy has been good to me. It’s been good to my family. It’s always kept us going,” Daley says. “I’m a big believer that you’ve got to give back and I hope that this award will encourage others to think about ways that they can help pharmacy students achieve their dreams.”