BOSTON — Sharlea Leatherwood of Kansas City, Mo., received the 2017 Calvin J. Anthony Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Community Pharmacists Association during NCPA’s recent annual convention in Boston. Leatherwood passed away on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, after an extended illness, and the award was presented posthumously. NCPA Past President Bob Greenwood accepted the award on behalf of her family. The 2017 award, sponsored by Pharmacists Mutual, was not presented at the 2017 NCPA Annual Convention due to Leatherwood’s illness.

“Sharlea Leatherwood unwaveringly dedicated her time, energy, leadership and passion to the profession of pharmacy and in many ways was a trailblazer for female pharmacists,” said NCPA Immediate Past President DeAnn Mullins, owner of Mullins Pharmacy in Lynn Haven, Fla. “Her commitment to both independent community pharmacy and the advancement of women in the profession ran long and deep. I can’t think of a more deserving recipient of the NCPA 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award, and we applaud Sharlea for her many lasting contributions to pharmacy as we mourn her recent passing.”

Kirk Hayes, Pharmacists Mutual Chairman of the Board, noted, “This is a bittersweet moment for us in light of Sharlea’s recent passing. We are honored to be the Calvin J. Anthony Award sponsor for the year that it is being presented to Sharlea Leatherwood. In addition to Sharlea’s dedication and devotion to the pharmacy profession and her community, she also faithfully served on the Pharmacists Mutual board and advisory board from 1996 to 2008. We would have loved to see Sharlea receive this award in person. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Gary and her family.”

The Calvin J. Anthony Lifetime Achievement Award honors a pharmacist who has dedicated their career to the advancement of the pharmacy profession. Leatherwood served as NCPA’s first female president in 2003 and as the first female president of the NCPA Foundation from 2007 to 2015. She also served as a trustee on the NCPA Foundation board of directors.

While rearing two young daughters, Leatherwood graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy in 1981. She bought her first pharmacy in 1982 and became an NCPA member that same year. As a single mom, she managed and ran her pharmacy, served as a leader within NCPA, and served as president of both the Missouri Pharmacists Association and the Missouri Board of Pharmacy. She managed her busy schedule to allow time to lead her daughters’ Girl Scout troops, volunteer for the PTA, and more. Leatherwood was happily married to her husband, Gary, for the past 30 years.