Lassiter family receives SWOSU award.

Byline: Journal Record Staff

WEATHERFORD Members of the John Lassiter family of Del City were honored with the College of Pharmacy Heritage Award at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford.

The Heritage Award recognizes a family with at least two generations of SWOSU pharmacy graduates who have demonstrated a commitment to the university, College of Pharmacy and the pharmacy profession.

SWOSU pharmacy graduates in the Lassiter family are John Lassiter, a 1963 graduate, and his daughter Shonda Lassiter, a 1998 graduate.

John worked as a pharmacist until he was drafted in 1967, serving until he was discharged in 1969. After service, John returned to pharmacy and has been in the pharmacy business since then, primarily with Lassiter Drug in Del City.

He served on the Oklahoma State Education and Employees Group Insurance Board, serving as pharmacy advisory for 18 years, and the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy between 1994 and 2013. He was a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1986-1990.

His daughter, Shonda, has also been in the pharmacy business since her graduation in 1998. She took part in an internship with the National Community Pharmacists Association in Washington, D.C. She opened the Oklahoma Wellness Center at Lassiter Drug. In 2001, she was presented the Innovative Pharmacy Practice Award by DuPont Pharmaceuticals, an award that is presented to one pharmacist per state each year.

She was appointed to serve as co-chair of the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy Tech Committee in 2012 and the National Community Pharmacist Association Compounding Committee from 2011-2014.

Each family member received an engraved Heritage Award Commemorative Coin, College of Pharmacy blanket, and their names displayed on a tree stake in the garden area by the College of Pharmacy Heritage Tree, a white bud tree that was planted in 2014 for the College of Pharmacy's 75th anniversary celebration.

SWOSU's pharmacy program was established in 1939 and currently has nearly 6,000 graduates.

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