Featured NCAP 50+ Member Charles “Micky” Whitehead Interview By Lindsay Cooper
Each year NCAP honors and recognizes 50+ members to highlight their dedication to the state association as well as to the profession of pharmacy. As a 4th year pharmacy student, I was given the honor of speaking with Micky Whitehead, a recently retired 50+ member. Little did I know, Micky and I share more than just a love for pharmacy and involvement in our state association. Although he currently lives in Asheboro, NC, he grew up and practiced in Ramseur, NC—the same small town in which my grandmother has lived since she was young. I found out that the two actually knew each other very well and that many of my family members have gone to Micky to receive their prescriptions and for medical advice. Charles “Micky” Whitehead is a lifetime member of NCAP and recently retired after working as a pharmacist for 50 years. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1967 after completing one year of pre-pharmacy courses, four years of the pharmacy curriculum, and a one-year internship program. From there, he returned to his hometown of Ramseur to practice with his father, Raymond Whitehead (UNC ’24), who was also a pharmacist and owned Ramseur Pharmacy Inc. Micky grew up helping out at the pharmacy and officially started working at the store at 14 years old. He immediately fell in love with compounding and the patient interaction. He knew that community pharmacy was what he wanted to do. As he moved into the pharmacist role nearly 10 years later, he worked alongside his father and eventually took over ownership of the store. In 1989, he sold Ramseur Pharmacy to Rite Aid. Though Micky retired in June of 2017, the pharmacy currently still stands and operates as a Walgreens. Although he enjoyed his 50 years as a pharmacist, Micky admits that he is enjoying retirement so far and enjoys being able to travel with his wife, Pat, and spending more time with his children and grandchildren. As a strong advocate for the profession and patients, Mr. Whitehead chose to remain highly involved during his career. As a student, he was an active member of the NC Pharmaceutical Association (NCPhA), Student Senate, and Phi Delta Chi pharmacy fraternity. As a pharmacist, he served as an executive committee member for the NCPhA, a member of the Board of Directors for the UNC School of Pharmacy Foundation, NC Mutual Drug, and for the now inactive NC Association of Professions. Micky also enjoyed serving those in his community as Vice Chairman of the Randolph County Mental Health Board and as Chairman of the Randolph County Board of Health. Some of his other positions include Chairman of the Ramseur Public Library, President of the Ramseur Lions Club (on the Board of Directors for the NC Lions Association for the Blind), Corporate Board member of Randolph Hospital, and member of the Pharmacy Education Advisory Board for Glaxo-Smith Kline. In 1973, Micky was recognized with the Don Blanton Award for his work and dedication to the advancement of pharmacy. 22
