One of the first items on Dale Coker’s agenda following his retirement this past October was to give back to the college that afforded him a great career in Pharmacy. In order to honor his beloved alma mater, UGA College of Pharmacy, Dale, along with his wife, Susan, recently established the Dale M. Coker Alumni Relations Endowment to offer pharmacy students an opportunity to grow in their education.

Dale Coker graduated from UGA in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. After gaining some experience, he started his own independent pharmacy practice, Cherokee Custom Script Pharmacy. This eventually led to opportunities to serve in leadership roles in the pharmacy profession. These recognitions included serving as the president of the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP) in 2015, president of the Georgia Pharmacy Association (GPhA) in 2010-11, and serving on the board of the Academy of Independent Pharmacy (AIP) for a number of years. He also was awarded GPhA’s Innovative Pharmacist of the Year in 2006.

Coker says, “I enjoyed a dream career” in Pharmacy, thanks to this exceptional Pharmacy program within this great institution.” Dana Strickland, Executive Director of External Affairs for the College of Pharmacy, commented, “We are proud of Dale’s many accomplishments, and we wish him and Susan a continued ‘Dream Life’ in retirement. Their generous endowment will further advance the mission of the College of Pharmacy.”

(Photo: College of Pharmacy Alumnus Dale Coker, R.Ph., with Dana Strickland, R.Ph., Executive Director of External Affairs)