2019 Professional Achievement Award
We are pleased to honor Barbara and Dan Fuchs as Co-Honorees of the Professional Achievement Award for 2019.
This is the most prestigious award that the College of Pharmacy grants to our alumni. The individuals chosen for this prestigious award have been out of school at least 10 years and have excelled in their chosen field through attainment of significant successes and notable accomplishments. They make important contributions to their profession, and they demonstrate community and civic involvement above and beyond their association with ISU.
Barbara and Dan met and fell in love as pharmacy students at ISU. They graduated in 1985 and married that same year. After graduation, Dan went to work for his father, Richard (Dick) Fuchs at Dick’s Pharmacy and Barbara worked for Smith's Pharmacy for 5 years. When Costco Wholesale opened in Twin Falls in 1993, she was hired as their pharmacy manager. She retired as the pharmacy manager in 2017 after 24 years of working at Costco.
Barbara and Dan have been very involved in the pharmacy profession throughout the State of Idaho. Barbara held the position of President of the Magic Valley Pharmacy Association in 1992-1993 and was followed by Dan in 1993-1994. Barbara also received several awards including the Eli Lilly and Company-Ethics Scholarship for Leadership, the Smith Kline and French-Laboratory Award for Superior Achievement in Clinical Pharmacy, and the Idaho State Pharmaceutical Association Certificate of Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship and Service. Both Barbara and Dan have donated their time, talents, and resources to the College of Pharmacy for many years. They have volunteered as preceptors and through the years have helped educate numerous pharmacy students. In addition, they have hired several Idaho State Pharmacy graduates. They have both been active members on the ISU College of Pharmacy Deans Advisory Council for nearly ten years. Without Barbara and Dan’s continued commitment, our students would not have gained the experiences and expertise on rotations at their 4th year rotations.
To the Fuchs household, pharmacy is truly a family affair. Richard Fuchs graduated from ISU in pharmacy in 1960, shortly thereafter co-founding Lost River Drug in Arco. In 1975, he opened Dick's Pharmacy in Twin Falls, which continues to be the flagship store of his family’s pharmacy enterprise. Four of his children have also graduated from the College of Pharmacy. They include Ed Fuchs ’81, Dan Fuchs ’85, Ken Fuchs ’93, and Doug Fuchs ‘97. Barbara and Dan's children Dr. Jacob Fuchs ‘15 (Kelly Krawtz-Fuchs ‘14), Dr. Ryan Fuchs ’18, and Dr. Chelsea Fuchs ’19, are also pharmacy graduates from ISU. To date, there have been thirteen family members of the Fuchs family that have graduated with a degree in Pharmacy from Idaho State University.
Since the inception of Dick’s Pharmacy in 1975, the Fuchs family has expanded to eight pharmacy locations and have over 100 employees. Their company is currently owned and operated by 3 of the brothers Dan, Ken, and Doug Fuchs. The pharmacies are Dick's Pharmacy, Buhl Drug, Medical Office Pharmacy, Kwik Meds, Orchard Drug, Home IV Services and Medical Supply, Jerome Drug, and Medsync Pharmacy.
Due to the positive impact that both Barbara and Dan have had on the pharmacy profession in the State of Idaho, we celebrate them as the ISU College of Pharmacy 2019 Professional Achievement Award Co-Honorees. Upon this wonderful celebration, we also want to honor the memory of the family patriarch, Dick Fuchs, from the class of 1960, who passed away in March. Dick started the Fuchs’ pharmacy legacy and was also a past honoree of the Professional Achievement Award. Dick will be missed.
