|
Ely On 31 December 2003, Leonard Cecil Ely, MRPharmS, of 41 Reddings
Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8LW. Mr Ely registered in 1943.
Murray On 23 December 2003, Truda Newman Murray, née Taylor, MRPharmS,
of 53 Wrens Avenue, Tipton, West Midlands DY4 8AF. Mrs Murray registered
in 1957.
Taylor On 21 January, Harold Taylor, of 25 Arnott Road, Marton, Blackpool,
Lancashire FY4 4OD. Mr Taylor registered in 1938 and retired from the
register in 1999.
|
Tribute
Foster In a tribute to the late Anthony
Harrison Foster (PJ, 31 January,
p138), JON MERRILLS writes:
Tony Foster’s small group of pharmacies
helped break the mould of the 1960s dark corner chemists and heralded
the bright pharmacies of today. His influence was much greater than the
size and geographical location of the pharmacies would suggest, as former
staff spread his ideas.
Tony’s early career was with the merchant navy. After training at Sunderland
school of pharmacy he worked in Dryburn Hospital, County Durham, then as a company
representative.
Later in Nottingham he ran a small pharmacy inside a supermarket. The American
owners saw his potential and made him general manager of the entire store — then
the largest supermarket in Europe. Eventually he left to set up a chain of pharmacies
around Nottingham. Building on his experience in supermarket buying and merchandising,
and his extensive contacts in retailing, he created bright clean pharmacies,
with patient-led services, discounted toiletries and accessible pharmacists.
By the beginning of the 1970s, Boots seemed dull in contrast and I hastened to
join him, as did a young South African, Tinus van der Colff. The three of us
became firm friends.
Tony had an amazing ability to motivate. Everyone would happily work a 24-hour
shift to open a new branch.
Tony saw the potential of diagnostic services early on and soon had a nationwide
pregnancy testing service which — sometimes literally — brought litres
of urine through the letter box. I will never forget the large Lucozade bottle,
completely full of urine, which arrived with a note offering a larger quantity
if needed.
Almost inevitably, one of the nationals bought the chain. Tony went to Zambia,
running the national Drug Company. He met Gilly and they were married. He was
elected President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia.
Returning from Zambia he became a consultant, advising the pharmaceutical and
cosmetics industries on community pharmacy. At least one supermarket pharmacy
chain probably owes its existence to commissioned reports by Tony.
He bought a pharmacy again, in a dispensing doctor area near Lincoln. He became
firm friends with the doctors, and their new surgery in a nearby village had
Tony running the pharmacy.
He was a talented artist and photographer, and a continual DIYer. His DIY projects
were never small. When he needed a billiard table on the first floor of the house
adjoining the pharmacy, Tony solved the problem by simply taking out the floor
and hauling the table upstairs through the gap. It made for interesting games
until the boards were replaced.
He touched the lives of everyone he met — as shown by the funeral service
at the little church in the Spanish village he had made his home after finally
retiring a couple of years ago. The crowd spilled out onto the street. For over
30 years he was a steadfast and true friend of my family. Big in life, big in
death. Tinus van der Colff and I join in sending our deepest condolences to Gilly
and the grown-up children. We will miss him more than words can ever express.
|
The
Pharmaceutical Journal