An enduring legacy

Nancy Faulkner (left) and Joan Jobb (right) with photos of their late parents, Fred G. and Daphne Faulkner.

The late Daphne Faulkner honoured her beloved husband, Fred G. Faulkner, by establishing a scholarship and bursary in his memory to support the next generation of pharmacists.

“Daddy was a progressive thinker, a man before his time,” says Joan Jobb (BA’68). “He did more than dispense drugs; he devoted his life to the health of his customers and his community.”

A pharmacist in the days when some prescriptions were still compounded on-site by hand, Fred G. Faulkner, (DipPharm’42), owned and operated Medical Arts Pharmacy on Quinpool Road in Halifax until his untimely death in 1963 at age 44. Respected among Halifax doctors for his depth of knowledge and beloved by clients for his compassion, Fred was an early proponent of publicly funded access to medication for all. “And our mother, who later became a certified dispenser and helped him in the pharmacy, shared this same passion for excellence in the profession,” says Joan.

So it came as no surprise when Fred’s widow, the late Daphne Faulkner, chose to encourage a new generation of Nova Scotia pharmacists with a planned gift to Dalhousie’s College of Pharmacy, endowing both a scholarship and a bursary in her late husband’s name.

A Life Dedicated To Family And Community

Born in Truro in 1919 and raised in Shubenacadie, Fred came by his interest in pharmacy naturally. The son of a travelling representative for National Drug, Fred worked in the local pharmacy during high school before heading to Dalhousie to study pharmacy.

It was in wartime Halifax that Fred met Daphne Tucker from Parrsboro, a young Red Cross volunteer working with the War Brides. They married in 1946. Next to his wife and young family, pharmacy was Fred’s life. Dedicated to offering the highest quality of care for his customers, he embraced the newest methods available at the time.

“Daddy was one of the first to install a recording system where doctors could call in a prescription directly to the pharmacy, and also developed a comprehensive patient profile system—uncommon in those days,” says Joan, whose own daughter, Anna (Jobb) Riordon, graduated from the College of Pharmacy in 2012.

“But his greatest concern was always for those who needed—but couldn’t afford—their medications,” adds Nancy Faulkner, the youngest of Fred and Daphne’s children, and a long-time Dalhousie employee. “That’s why he envisioned the idea of a Pharmacare-style program.”

Moving Forward

Fred’s early death left Daphne a young widow with four children. “Mom was a self-sufficient, independent and resourceful woman,” says Joan. “She had no choice but to regroup and carry on.”

Daphne, who’d earned her qualification as a certified dispenser from Dalhousie in 1961, was soon hired by the Victoria General Hospital pharmacy, where she excelled for the next 25 years. “Mom was always upgrading her knowledge and staying current,” adds Nancy.

Daphne’s lifelong love of learning continued into her active retirement. Whether writing poetry or exploring heritage sites in England, tending her gardens or sewing quilts for children, she embraced life and family until her death in 2018 at age 96.

“But above all, Mom always believed in Dad and what he stood for as a pharmacist,” says Joan. “She carried on his legacy and principles. In every sense, this endowment honours them both—and we´re delighted.”

— Elizabeth MacDonald