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1M O R T O N P H A R M A C Y ❙ S E V E N T Y - F I V E Y E A R S ❙ 1 9 3 2 • 2 0 0 7

75W E L C O M E

4THE STORY

of Morton Pharmacy starts on a hot July day during

the Great Depression

11THE PEOPLE

Morton team membersexemplify pharmacy’sfamily-friendly feeling

Dear Friends and Family:

THE ART OF STORYTELLING involves an engaging sto-

ryline, a cast of interesting characters, and a theme or

underlying lesson that ties the story together in a way that’s

meaningful to listeners and readers alike. As my family and

I began looking back at the 75-year history of Morton

Pharmacy in the Fox Valley, we certainly uncovered a

wealth of all of these components!

We set out to write our company history and realized

that we could only do it right if we wrote of the importance

of family, the loyalty of our customers, the dedication of

our employees, and even the history of pharmacy as a

whole.

What follows is the result of our interesting travel

through history, made truly rewarding by all the people

who have contributed to our continued success, who called

or wrote with reminiscences, and who gave of their time to

complete interviews and gather historical documents.

Thank you for being part of our story, a story we are

proud – and truly humbled – to share with you here. ❖

20LOYALTY

Remembering lifetimeof service by Millard“Robbie” Robinson

24REFLECTIONSCommunity shares75 years of Morton

memories

– Steve Morton, July 2007


M O R T O N P H A R M A C Y ❙ S E V E N T Y - F I V E Y E A R S ❙ 1 9 3 2 • 2 0 0 72

Front Row:Kaitlin Morton, Darlene Morton, Ellie Blank, Peter Morton, Hailey Stielow

Back Row: Charles Morton, Kelsey Morton, Allison Morton, Sherry Morton, Jeffrey Blank, Scott Stielow holding Paige Stielow

Middle Row:Andrea Morton, Stephen Morton,Peter Morton, David Morton,Kathryn Blank, Jackson Blank,Jennifer Stielow holding Meghan Stielow.



75T H E S T O R Y

VISIONTo be the BEST pharmacist care

provider in the communities we serve.

MISSIONEarn customer loyalty through relationship building,

providing whole health pharmacist care services and

offering quality health care products. Morton

Pharmacy team members are committed to helping

customers maintain or enhance their quality of life.

FAMILYWe encourage open communications in a family-like

atmosphere. We foster an interdependent culture of

team members working toward a common vision. We

expect great commitment to our company with a

healthy balance of family and personal interests.

GROWTHWe will provide team members personal

freedom to promote individual initiative and

creativity. We will challenge ourselves and others to

continuously improve our organization for customers,

team members and owners.

SERVINGWe are driven to serve our customer, our community

and our team members. We serve by being

respectful, understanding and honest. We serve by

asking the right questions and providing the best

solutions. We serve by being a resource to others.

A Family-CenteredPharmacy


THaving graduated from Clintonville High School in

1924, where he was known as “Duke” according to his year-

book inscriptions, Charles Everard Morton opened the

Economy Drug Store, a Walgreens Agency, at 111 E.

Wisconsin Ave. in Neenah. He

invested $600 of his own money

to open his own storefront.

Since age 14, he had been

working in pharmacies; first, at

Olk Drug Store in Clintonville,

mostly sweeping floors and run-

ning errands; then in 1928, when

he moved to Neenah to work for

George Elwers at Elwers Drug

Store at the southwest corner of

Wisconsin and Commercial

Streets. Morton’s own Economy

Drug was leased for $55 per

month and ideally located across

the street from the Neenah

Theatre, where it attracted a reg-

ular crowd of customers to its

soda fountain for 5-cent Coca-

Colas.

Charles Morton would later report that opening day

was a very successful one at Economy Drug. He did $207

worth of business on that Saturday. He had to call a buddy

at his supply warehouse and drive there that weekend to

have enough stock to open his store again on Monday

morning – a day that brought in a sharply contrasting $57.

According to the late Charles’s son, Peter Morton, all

his father needed back then to open his apothecary empo-

rium to dispense medicines was a six-month pharmacy

short-course through Marquette University and a successful

board exam. Charles Morton later recalled that it was a full

year before he established a prescription department at

Economy Drug, as the store also sold toiletries and sun-

dries, which attracted a steady stream of customers. Before

his death in 1986, Charles pondered

the miraculous transformation he’d

seen over his decades as a pharma-

cist.

He experienced medical histo-

ry in the development of sulfa

drugs, the advent of penicillin, and

the invention of the Salk polio vac-

cine. “We used to make powders

and ointments by hand,” he recol-

lected of the early days.

Steve Morton, Charles’ grand-

son and current president of the

regional Morton Pharmacy chain,

has heard tales of Morton’s first

foray into the pharmacy business.

At the same time Charles opened

Economy Drug in downtown Nee-

nah in 1932, there were four other

pharmacies already serving the same com-

munity: Schultz’s, Barnett’s, Elwers’ and

Island Drug. “My grandfather started

advertising low prices right away, and

price points hadn’t been used in adver-

tising very much up until then.

Charles Everard Morton in1924. Above: A newspaper adver-

tisement trumpeting the 1932opening of Economy Drug Store. }

4 M O R T O N P H A R M A C Y ❙ S E V E N T Y - F I V E Y E A R S ❙ 1 9 3 2 • 2 0 0 7

75T H E S T O R Y

THE STORY OF MORTON PHARMACY starts

on a hot summer day on July 30, 1932, during the depths

of the Great Depression.

>>>>>>>>>> 6


BEFORE HIS DEATH IN 1986, CHARLES

PONDERED THE MIRACULOUS TRANSFORMA-

TION HE’D SEEN OVER HIS DECADES AS A

PHARMACIST. HE EXPERIENCED MEDICAL

HISTORY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SULFA

DRUGS, THE ADVENT OF PENICILLIN, AND THE

INVENTION OF THE SALK POLIO VACCINE.

Other local pharmacy owners were said to have

met and reassured each other that this Morton wasn’t

going to last that long, and not to worry about his

stealing their customers,” Steve recalled. Ironically,

Morton Pharmacy is the only company still in

existence today, and three of these same

competitors would later be bought out by

Morton.

Charles Morton was one of the

last licensed pharmacists in Wiscon-

sin to practice under a grandfathered

clause that did not require him to

hold a college degree. He was also one

of the first 20 Walgreens agents, the

forerunner to today’s Wal-

greens pharmacy chain. He

stocked most of his shelves with

Walgreens branded products and par-

ticipated in their promotions and store dis-

play programs through the 1980s, at which time

the agency program was cancelled as the larger

chain embarked on its nationwide expansion.

In the meantime, the Morton family contin-

ued to nurture and grow its business and relation-

ships within the Neenah and Menasha communi-

ties.

Most Neenah citizens will remember Morton

Drug at its most enduring location at 108 W.

Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Neenah. Charles

moved his store there in 1952, and was later joined

by his only son Peter, a graduate of the UW-

Madison School of Pharmacy, in 1962. Peter, now 71 years

old and retired, remembers crowding into his dad’s shop

after school with his junior high buddies, bellying up to the

counter for a soda. “Of course, my dad didn’t appreciate it

all that much, because he was paying for all of it,” he laugh-

ingly recalls.

Peter Morton recalls his father operating a pharmacy

for a short time within the Riverside Clinic on Broad Street

in Menasha in the 1940s and in the Zuelke Building in

downtown Appleton during the 1950s. When Charles


75T H E S T O R Y

Grand opening ad for new WestWisconsin location in downtown Neenah.

Building sign indowntown Neenahcirca 1952.

Morton Drugs interior, 1952.

>>>>>>>>>> 7


opened his new Neenah store in 1952, it was renamed Mor-

ton Drug. He had opened a store in downtown Menasha in

1939, and added another pharmacy on South Commercial

Street in Neenah in 1967.

Over the past 20 years, those three pharmacies blos-

somed into a small family-centered and managed chain of

11 locations, plus a closed-shop pharmacy that exclusively

serves the needs of long-term care facilities and a safety dis-

tribution and training business called Morton Safety. The

surge in growth was accompanied by a surge in annual sales

from $1.5 million at the original three stores to more than

$40 million in sales in 2006.

Morton Drug was renamed Morton Pharmacy in 1992,

on its 60th anniversary in business. By that time, the fami-

ly business was being led by both Peter Morton and his chil-

dren with wife Darlene. Steve Morton, a CPA, now serves as

the company’s president and CEO. David holds an MBA

from Marquette University and is the chief operating offi-

cer. Kathryn holds an education degree and is the merchan-

dising manager, and Jennifer, a dietitian, recently moved

back to the area.

Jeff Blank, Kathryn’s husband, is the chief information

officer, and Kurt Holm, R.Ph., serves as the director of

pharmacy. As of 2006, Peter Morton sold his shares of

Morton Pharmacy to his four children who now each have

25 percent ownership in the thriving business.

Steve Morton credits the growth and respect that

Morton Pharmacy has earned over the past seven decades

to the strong family culture within the organization.

Morton is run by a family for families, and treats its team

members with the same

respect afforded to mem-

bers of one’s own family.

“We are so fortunate

to have such an expe-

rienced and com-

mitted team.

Many of them

have committed

their careers to

helping the Mor-

ton family build

the pharmacy business.” That

loyalty amongst Morton’s

pharmacists, many of whom

have 10 to 25 years with the

company, means they get to know and serve multiple gen-

erations of customers.

Today, Morton Pharmacy employs 160 team members

across the Fox Valley region and Oshkosh. They strive to

differentiate themselves from the chain-store competition

by offering personalized services, such as attentive counsel-

ing about the correct use of medicines, home delivery, per-

sonal charge accounts, a state-of-the-art compounding lab,

prescription flavoring and bubble packaging. Steve says,

“We are large enough to benefit from economies of scale in

purchasing, so we can pass competitive pricing on to our

customers. But we are agile enough to be flexible and focus-

ed on each individual customer.” With nearly 90 percent of

prescription drug sales covered by insurance, Morton com-

petes on a level playing field with other chains when it

comes to dispensing prescriptions. Like the others, Morton

accepts most insurance plans, Medicaid and Medicare, and

customers pay the same co-payments no matter their choice

of pharmacies. “The difference is that we are all about

health care, and all about caring for the people of the Fox

Valley,” Steve Morton explained. ❖


75T H E S T O R Y

Peter and CharlesMorton hold anaward marking

Morton’s 50th anni-versary in 1982.

Jeff Blank, CIO; Steve Morton, CEO; Peter Morton, R.Ph. (retired);David Morton, COO; Kathryn Blank,merchandising manager.{

MORTON DRUG WAS RENAMED MORTON PHARMACY IN 1992.


I


75T H E P E O P L E

IT WAS 1977 AND PETER MORTON was elected as the president of the Wisconsin

Pharmaceutical Association, now called the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, at the organiza-

tion’s 97th annual convention in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. He recalls that exciting year fond-

ly. “The traveling and all the relationships with pharmacists all over the state were great. There

were seven or nine sections, and the president and vice president would schedule visits each

spring to all of them.”

During Morton’s tenure, pharmacy associations began to push for the now-ubiquitous and

detailed patient package inserts that explain a drug’s use, side effects and possible complica-

tions. The groups also discussed using computers in a hospital pharmacy for the first time,

how to raise more revenues through film developing, plus operational issues like insurance

and internships. The era also saw a near-doubling in the number of employees who had group

health insurance benefits through their employers, including hospital room and board bene-

fits of $50 or more a day by 1977. In his role as the leader of the voluntary professional organ-

ization, Morton focused his efforts on increased membership support and involvement in the

1,800-member association. In his letters from that year, he looked to George Orwell’s “1984”

with concerns about the looming increased government regulation of the pharmacy profes-

sion.

At Peter’s side and masterfully leading the WphA Auxiliary as president was his wife,

Darlene. The Auxiliary was charged with a myriad of projects, from developing cookbooks to

ordering needlepoint or latch hook rug kits with a pharmacy theme. The ladies’ organization

also raised money to support Pharm Pac, an early version of today’s pharmacy political action

committees, and to fund updates to the organization’s headquarters in Madison. The group

even ran the educational and poison prevention Drug Respect Program that featured a slide

show, flannel boards and puppet shows with characters called “Mickey the Medicine Cabinet”

and “Little Jill.” ❖

Meet the President and His First Lady

timeline}{1932 1939

Charles Everard Mortonopens Economy Drug at

111 E. Wisconsin Avenuein Neenah with $600 of

his own money.

Charles opens his second pharmacy.It’s originally located in the formerMenasha Hotel. Shortly thereafter,it’s relocated to 167 Main Street in

Menasha. As the pharmacy expands,Charles buys the assets of Hidde

Drug and Island Drug in Menasha.

>>>>>>>>>> 9

DURING PETER’S TENURE, PHARMACISTS

BEGAN TO PUSH FOR PATIENT PACKAGE INSERTS.



75T H E P E O P L E

timeline}{1952

Economy Drug in down-town Neenah is relocated

to 108 W. WisconsinAvenue in Neenah andrenamed Morton Drug

Company.

Charles Morton signs a lease tooperate a small pharmacy within theJensen Clinic located at 222Washington Avenue in Menasha inexchange for 12 percent of monthlypharmacy revenues and drugs tostock the three doctors’ bags.

>>>>>>>>>> 10

MMORTON PHARMACY’S SERVICE to long-term care facilities

is a precise and accurate process in which pharmacists and staff part-

ner closely with nursing homes, assisted living facilities, doctors and

families to provide necessary medications, dosing instructions and

pharmacy consulting to patients and residents. Looking back to 1962

when Charles and Peter Morton first began servicing Valley Heritage

(now Vallhaven) in Neenah, some of the initial long-term care

processes had barely been developed.

Peter spearheaded the nursing home idea because he had been

exposed to the idea while an intern pharmacist at Dana & Worm in

Fond du Lac, and he believed there was a good potential for expand-

ing the family business as these homes sprang up across the land-

scape.

“I invented the first unit dose system for the area,” Peter recalled,

explaining that medications were organized by single dose for resi-

dents versus delivering larger quantities of medicine that the nursing

home staff was left to measure and administer.

“We started with a cart with 48 drawers with four slots each. It

held a 24-hour supply, so it had to be changed every day. Together

with Robbie (Millard Robinson, R.Ph.), we ran the long-term care

business out of the upstairs at 108 (W. Wisconsin Ave. in Neenah),

and what a hassle it was to carry that cart up the back stairs every

Morton Pharmacy:Here For The Long Term

1957

>>>>>>>>>> 10

Morton Pharmacy’s dedicated compound lab produces customized medicines for retail customers and residents inlong-term care facilities. These medications may be requiredfor patients who are sensitive to standard drug strength,have allergies to dyes, are intolerant of preservatives or areunable to swallow pills. Becky Schultz, R.Ph., is shown here.


day!” Peter laughingly recalled. When the Morton Phar-

macy opened at 1112 S. Commercial Street in Neenah in

1978, the staff immediately appreciated the single-level

store and the significantly expanded space afforded to the

long-term care services.

Looking back, unit dosing revolutionized the way med-

ications are given, dramatically increasing the safety and

accuracy of patient pharmacological care. In the

early days, Morton Pharmacy would become the

prescription medication provider

for Sunset Haven in Menasha,

Pleasant Acres near Oshkosh (now

part of Parkview), Oakridge Gar-

dens in Menasha and Americana in

Appleton (now Manor Care). In an

interview for Pharmacist Manage-

ment magazine in 1969, Charles Mor-

ton reported that he was grossing $125 a day

through servicing two nursing homes in

Neenah and Menasha, a figure that has

grown exponentially with the increase in

leading-edge medications and an aging population.

Today, Morton Pharmacy serves more than 2,500

patients in long-term care facilities throughout northeast-

ern Wisconsin and continues to expand.

The growth and efficiency of this service line is due in

large part to the pharmacists and

staff at Morton’s closed shop

pharmacy located on Midway

Road in Menasha. Virtually un-

known to the general public, the

staff of 12, plus delivery and office

personnel, delivers and consults

on medications that are solely des-

tined for nursing homes and

assisted living facilities through-

out the region.

Since the advent of the first

unit dose system in 1962, Morton

Pharmacy has gone on to special-

ize in medication management for

both long-term care facilities and individual caregivers.

For example, different styles of bubble packs can now be

assembled based on a patient’s medicines, dosages and dose

times.

Long-term care and assisted living facilities benefit from

seven-day-a-week deliveries, emergency after-hours phar-

macist coverage, insurance billing services, pharmacy con-

sulting, continuing education opportunities and assistance

with medication management recordkeeping. Steve Morton

ob-served, “It proves once again how pharmacies have truly

become full partners in health care.” ❖


1961Millard D. Robinson, R.Ph., joins

Morton Drug Company aftergraduating from the University of

Wisconsin Pharmacy School. Acollege pal of Peter Morton,

“Robbie” worked for the Mortons for45 years until his death in 2006.

Peter Morton, son of Charles and Kathryn (Schmerein)Morton, joins Morton Drug as a professionally licensedpharmacist. He holds his degree from the University ofWisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy and complet-ed his internship in Fond du Lac at Dana & Wormbefore joining his father’s pharmacy.

PETER SPEARHEADED THE NURSING HOME IDEA FOR MORTON PHARMACY.

75T H E P E O P L E

timeline}{1962

>>>>>>>>>> 11



75T H E P E O P L E

timeline}{1967Morton Drug opens its

fourth store, in a leasedspace located at 1354

South Commercial Streetin Neenah.

The clinic-basedpharmacy located atthe Jensen Clinic inMenasha closes.

>>>>>>>>>> 13

J

1973Morton Drug moves its SouthCommercial store to a newlyconstructed building at 1112South Commercial Street, alocation next to the Ron &Lloyd’s/Red Owl grocery store(currently Family Video).

1978

JEFF CUSHMAN, R.PH., is the pharmacy manager at

Neenah South. He joined the company in 1988, fresh out of

pharmacy school, working under Mylan Sinclair and Morris

Gabert, the former owners of Appleton Pharmacy who stayed

on after Morton Pharmacy bought their business. “They knew

everybody. It was a nice way to get settled.”

Eight years into his employment at Morton Pharmacy, Jeff

and his then wife Deann helped launch Morton Medical, a

home health care company. As durable medical equipment

manager, Jeff trained drivers in equipment set-up, hired respi-

ratory therapists, and partnered with suppliers to grow the

newest division of Morton. In 1998, Morton Medical was sold

to ThedaCare, and Jeff was obligated to stay on with the health

care provider for at least one year. That was an eye-opening

experience after having been part of a small, family-owned

business, Jeff explained.

“We could turn on a dime, talk to the top guy (at Morton

Pharmacy). In the large corporate setting, you didn’t have that,

and you worked to the bottom line. At Morton, they believe if

you take care of the customer and the community, the money

will come.” For these reasons, Jeff rejoined Morton Pharmacy

as a retail pharmacist after his required year. “I appreciate how

you can impact the company with just one phone call. Kurt

(Holm) and Steve (Morton) just know. They start understand-

ing the problem right away. I believe small companies tend to

try things out; we seem to take more risks.” ❖

Jeff Cushman

>> Morton Team Member


H


75T H E H I S T O R Y

HISTORICALLY, alcohol, cigarettes and all order of

tobacco products were a large part of a pharmacy’s offer-

ings. In fact, many interior photos of early Morton Drug

Company stores showed an elaborate wall display of liquors

and tobacco. It wasn’t until 1991 that Morton Pharmacy

decided to entirely eliminate the sale of tobacco products.

Back then, these products annually generated more than

$75,000 in sales at Morton’s four locations, but Peter

Morton succinctly explained the logic behind the decision.

“It’s difficult to promote wellness and sell cigarettes at the

same time. From a credibility standpoint, it has an impact.

Why jeopardize your credibility by selling cigarettes?”

In conjunction with the American Cancer Society’s

Great American Smokeout in November 1991, Morton’s

tobacco sales were eliminated. In a press release dated

October 30, 1991, the company announced, “No longer will

any pharmacy owned by Morton Drug Co. Inc. promote or

provide healthcare at one end of the business and then sell

cancer at the other. Rather, we will be encouraging and

helping our customers to

stop smoking.” It was big

news, and all of the local

newspapers, radio stations

and two network television

stations picked up the

story. National Public

Radio even reported on

Morton’s groundbreaking

decision, which evoked

letters and phone calls

from across the country.

Nearly two years later,

Peter Morton wrote an

article for the October

1993 issue of Wiscon-

sin Pharmacist where he reported, “The publicity that we

have received on this issue has been outstanding. We obvi-

ously made this decision at a very critical time …we feel we

have accomplished our goal without alienating our tobac-

co-using customers.”

Even though it was

the late 1980s when

Morton Drug stopped

selling alcohol, there was

that notorious lull in the

availability of spirits

during Prohibition that

lasted from 1920 until

1933. According to the

Pharmacy Society of

Wisconsin, private own-

ers of some 600,000 gal-

lons of spirits sold their

liquor to drug stores

that were legally able to sell the alcohol for medical use only.

It is estimated that nationally, doctors earned more than

$40 million in one year by writing prescriptions for whiskey

while “patients” obtained counterfeit prescriptions to pur-

chase the alcohol. Fortunately, Charles Morton didn’t have

to face such a quandary, as his pharmacy was only open a

short time before the repeal of Prohibition. ❖

Drugs of Choice:Alcohol and Tobacco Part of Morton History

Top: Alcohol and tobacco sales at Morton Pharmacy, circa 1952. At left: A 1991 Post-Crescent article announcing Morton’s termin-ation of in-store tobacco sales. Above: Morton’s decision isfeatured in a 1992 article in American Druggist magazine.


timeline}{1984

Steve Morton, son of Peterand Darlene, joins MortonDrug. He is a graduate of

Lakeland College, and a CPA.He assumes the role of mer-

chandise manager.

Morton Drug acquires Appleton Pharmacy at 601 W.College Avenue in Appleton, its fourth store. Mortonalso acquires the assets and inventory of Elwer’s Drugsin Neenah. Elwer’s had been in business for 127 yearsin downtown Neenah. At the time of their closing, theyhad an established industrial safety division, which wasthe seed for the development of Morton Safety.

>>>>>>>>>> 15

1988

BBETTY ACKERMAN started to work for Morton Drug

Co. in 1973. Many considered her the friendly face of their

pharmacy at 108 W. Wisconsin Ave. in Neenah, where she

worked as a clerk until the flagship location closed in 2004.

Betty now works at the closed shop pharmacy where she

preps prescriptions for Morton’s long-term care customers.

After 34 years with a family business, she’s literally watched the

family and the company grow up.

“I’ve known the kids since they were born. Steve (Morton,

the present-day CEO) and I joke that he used to fill my soda

cooler at the store and I was his boss!”

Betty spent most of her years working alongside Peter

Morton, the pharmacist for the downtown store. “He hired

me, and he was always a really nice man to work for. We grew

old together. When he left me (to retire), I thought to myself,

‘I’m gonna try to stay till I’m 70, too.’” ❖

Betty Ackerman


did you know? ?In 1936, a fermentation-free method for fermenting ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) isdeveloped by Dr. Richard Pasternack. Pfizerbecomes the world’s leading producer.


75T H E P E O P L E


A



AT THREE DIFFERENT times in Morton

Pharmacy history the company has fallen victim

to armed robberies. The first report was on

February 11, 1974, when a man armed with a

pistol entered the store and fled with about $50

worth of narcotics. It was reported that the man

walked directly back to the drug counter, pointed

the gun at Peter Morton, the pharmacist on duty,

and demanded, “Give me all your good stuff and

don’t diddle around,” then specifically demanded

morphine “and your schedule No. 2’s,” a type of

non-refillable prescription drugs. He exited the

back of the store after Morton had filled his duffel

bag primarily with five boxes of syringes.

Later that same year on December 4, two men

robbed the downtown Menasha store at gunpoint

and escaped with about $115 and a small quantity

of narcotics.

In this case, a female clerk and a customer were

ordered to the back of the store at gunpoint, and the

pharmacist, John Pilgrim, was reported to have

been “roughed up a bit.”

The newspaper account of the robbery also

includes interesting observations, like the sec-

ond suspect was not wearing socks at the time of

the robbery.

The same pharmacy had been the scene of an

attempted robbery on November 3 and was thought to be part

of a rash of recent drug store burglaries in the Fox Valley area.

Thirteen years later, the downtown Menasha store was

once again the target of a lone gunman. He demanded cash

and specific drugs, then locked the pharmacist in the base-

ment and fled the scene.

Besides being tragic and fearful experiences, no serious

injuries ever resulted from these robberies. ❖

Guns & Drugs:Robberies DotMorton’s Past

Three separatenewspaper articleschronicle the threerobberies in Mor-ton’s history.

GIVE ME ALL

YOUR GOOD

STUFF AND

DON’T DIDDLE

AROUND.– ARMED ROBBER,FEBRUARY 11, 1974

❛❛

❛❛


timeline}{Morton Drug stops selling ciga-

rettes. A groundbreaking decisionto no longer “provide healthcare at

one end of the business and thensell cancer at the other,” the change

at Morton Drug was widely covered inthe local and national press.

Morton Drug marks 60 years in business. TheDowntown Neenah store is the site of the celebra-tion that unveils Morton’s new name and logo. Theupdated identity is Morton Pharmacy, and the tri-angle logo symbolizes the essential relationshipsbetween the pharmacist, patient and physician.

>>>>>>>>>> 17

JJOHN PEROUTKY, R.PH., joined Morton Drug Co. in

1986 and has been managing the College Avenue pharmacy

location in Appleton for the past 10 years. During his tenure

he’s seen his profession entirely reshaped by managed care, yet

appreciates the way that the modern Morton Pharmacy retains

its family feel.

“I grew up in the time of corner stores, and the way Mor-

ton’s does it, they still allow more individual freedoms.”

Perhaps that theory was tested a bit when John decided to

get a pierced ear on the occasion of his 40th birthday. “Back

then, it was a big deal for a male to wear an earring. I remem-

ber Steve calling me up to his office to discuss it. It was

groundbreaking at the time.”

That’s why you can say there’s still a special sparkle about

John after all these years. (It’s in his left ear.) ❖

John Peroutky


did you know? ?In 1954, Jonas Salk develops the world’sfirst polio vaccine. In 1960, the FDAapproves the first oral contraceptives formarketing in the United States.


75T H E P E O P L E

19921991


M

I



IT WAS 1988 and Morton Pharmacy bought out the

127-year-old Neenah-based Elwers Pharmacy. Elwers had

long provided occupational health, safety and first aid

products to local business and industry, and that service

line was also adopted by Morton Pharmacy.

In the beginning, Jeff Blank managed as the one-man

staff of the safety division. It wasn’t until 1995 when it was

spun off as its own entity and renamed Morton Safety that

the division grew in staff, visibility and retail and warehouse

space. That was the year that Morton Safety moved into its

first dedicated building and store at 1112 S. Commercial

Street, a former Morton Pharmacy location.

The company began to expand its offering to include

environmental control and clean-up products and person-

al protective equipment. Not long after, Morton Safety

debuted its first aid and CPR training courses, and now

even offers AED (automated external defibrillator) training

for the AED units it sells, plus courses to meet OSHA’s

bloodborne pathogen and personal protective equipment

standards.

Morton Safety provides scheduled first aid cabinet

replenishment and offers related products like biohazard

kits, oxygen units and eyewash and body stations. The

Morton Safety team has grown to eight employees and sev-

eral contracted training instructors. They do more than $2

million in business each year. ❖

Morton Safety:Striving to Protect and Serve

MORTON PHARMACY was estab-

lished as a family-centered pharmacy 75

years ago and it remains so today. Families

share with one another, and that’s the phi-

losophy behind Morton Members, a cus-

tomer appreciation program that rewards

both customers and local charities for

patronizing Morton Pharmacy.

When a customer enrolls in the pro-

gram, he or she earns points toward cer-

tificates redeemable at Morton Pharmacy

and matching points toward a cash dona-

tion to a local charitable organization of

his or her choice. Since the program’s

inception in 1998, Morton Pharmacy has

returned over $175,000 in the form of gift

certificates and cash contributions to

numerous local charities. ❖

Membership and its Privileges


timeline}{1992 1994

Morton Pharmacy beginsIV drug compounding

services from its locationat 1112 S. Commercial St.

Morton Pharmacyacquires Rice Phar-macy in Winneconne,its fifth store.

>>>>>>>>>> 18

KKURT HOLM, R.PH., is the director of pharmacy for

Morton Pharmacy. He leads 30 full- and part-time pharma-

cists, 12 of whom are pharmacy managers for their respective

locations.

In addition to his executive duties, he spends about half of

his time behind the pharmacy counter, filling prescriptions

and working with customers.

Kurt served on the board of directors for the Pharmacy

Society of Wisconsin and maintains a visible presence at the

University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy in Madison.

These efforts have significantly helped Morton attract several

pharmacists from Madison in the past four years, an incredi-

bly enviable recruiting record for any pharmacy.

Holm is extraordinarily confident in their abilities. “They

are excellently prepared, great pharmacists, hard workers, and

committed to the profession and taking care of people.” He’s

also helped usher in a pharmacy residency program at Morton

Pharmacy, one of only three community care pharmacy resi-

dencies in the state.

While most year-long post-graduate residencies are in hos-

pitals, Kurt believes community care affords new pharmacists

an entirely different and rewarding experience. “Our company

culture is a magnet for pharmacist recruits,” he knowingly

admits.

That culture includes the expectation that everyone helps

everyone else. “That comes from the Morton family. It trans-

lates into happy employees who do good work. If a customer

asks where so-and-so is, and we say she’s at her son’s soccer

game, people understand that and it means something to peo-

ple.” Kurt sees the advantages to working for an agile, family-

owned and independent regional pharmacy chain. “If some-

one has a good idea, we say, ‘Let’s try that tomorrow.’” ❖

Kurt Holm


“OUR COMPANY IS A MAGNET FOR PHARMACIST

RECRUITS ... IF SOMEONE HAS A GOOD IDEA, WE SAY,

‘LET’S TRY THAT TOMORROW.’ ” – KURT HOLM{


75T H E P E O P L E



timeline}{1995

Morton Pharmacy moves to 1421 South Commercial St. to anewly constructed strip mall alongside the new, much larger Ron& Lloyd’s Grocery Store. (This grocery would later become Pick

n’ Save and eventually close in July 2002.) Adjacent to this phar-macy at 1417 S. Commercial St. was Morton Medical, an expan-

sion of the home health care business that provided durablemedical equipment, oxygen services, and home nursing services.

Morton Safety takes over the 8,000-square-foot1112 South Commercial Street former pharmacylocation. Morton Safety established itself as aseparate entity and expanded its industrial safety,occupational health, first aid and safety trainingbusiness to include a retail outlet for its products.

>>>>>>>>>> 19

75T H E P E O P L E

CCINDY HARWOOD has a couple of good stories to tell

after 20 years as a clerk at Morton’s.

She spent the early years behind the elaborately stocked

fine cosmetics and jewelry counter, both of which are no

longer sold in the company’s stores. Then there were the days

when the older customers still wrote out their checks to

“Mort’s” and the bank would cash them.

One of Cindy’s strangest memories is from the time when

Morton Drug Co. sold and delivered alcohol and tobacco to its

customers.

“We had a bad ice storm, and a lady over on Doty Avenue,

just three blocks away, called and wanted a six pack of beer and

a carton of cigarettes.” She recalled that the driver was so

incensed that a lady would call for these things that he put off

her delivery.

“She called me 14 times that day, looking for her beer and

cigarettes!” ❖

Cindy Harwood


did you know? ?In 1963, Valium is developed by Roche labs. In 1966, Insulin is first synthesized in China. In 1970, Lithium is approved forthe treatment of manic depression.


did you know? ?In 1970, the FDA requires that oral contra-ceptives contain information for the patientabout specific risks and benefits, introduc-ing the first patient package insert.timeline}{

Morton Medical is sold to United Health and becomes known as ThedaCare at Home. In theformer Morton Medical space, Morton Pharmacy opens HealthLink, featuring nutritionalproducts, vitamins and supplements and counseling for the prevention, early detection andmanagement of chronic disease. This venture is later discontinued. The same year, MortonPharmacy acquires F.W. Mueller Drug on Sawyer Street in Oshkosh, established in 1907,from the Mueller family. Morton also acquires the small Oshkosh Clinic Pharmacy. Theseare Morton’s sixth and seventh locations.

>>>>>>>>>> 21

1998

LLEWIS KUMBIER, R.PH., came to Morton Drug Co. in

1986 and immediately started learning everything he could

from his two most influential mentors: Peter Morton and

Millard Robinson, or “Robbie.”

“I found out how to develop a loyal customer base and

treat customers as family so they feel important in the store.”

In fact, for the first two years that Lewis worked under Robbie,

he’d occasionally get customers who didn’t want to deal with

him, but would rather wait until Robbie was available. With a

smile in his voice, Lewis remembers deciding, “When I came

out from under Robbie, I told myself that no one else was

going to do that to me ever again, not once I got my own

store.”

Nowadays he cultivates the same close relationships with

his customers, and credits Morton’s with helping him live his

dream of making a difference in people’s lives.

“It really warms your heart to be serving the third genera-

tion of a family, or when people go out of their way to come in

and tell you how much you’ve done for their mom or dad.” ❖

Lewis Kumbier



75T H E P E O P L E


M


75T H E P E O P L E

MILLARD D. ROBINSON, or Robbie as most knew

him, was as close as they come to being an honorary mem-

ber of the Morton family.

He was the youngest of eight children whose family

grew up in Brodhead, Wisconsin, and he had a twin sister.

Robbie was always proud of the fact that he was the only

one of the five boys in his family to graduate from college.

His introduction to his lifelong career was as a pharmacy

mate in the U.S. Navy, in which he enlisted right after high

school.

In the Navy, Robbie crossed the Pacific Ocean 11 times

while transporting troops and their spouses home from the

Korean War. He liked to tell of the time he helped deliver a

baby on board, and about the time that his ship was too big

for the Panama Canal, so he sailed around the tip of South

America to reach the East Coast.

After his military service, Robbie entered pharmacy

school only to interrupt his studies to help care for his ail-

ing father. When he returned a semester later in 1958, he

struck up a friendship with the young Peter Morton, also a

pharmacy student at the University of Wisconsin. Shortly

thereafter, Charles Morton was looking for a pharmacist to

staff his downtown Neenah store, and in 1961, Peter sent

Robbie to Neenah to meet his dad. As Robbie’s wife Sue

recalls it, she spent all her time during Robbie’s interview in

the yarn shop in downtown Neenah, and that helped her

fall in love with the city! Even though Robbie had two more

interviews scheduled in southern Wisconsin that same day,

he cancelled them and accepted a position with Morton’s

that same day. Sue remembers that her husband was happy

that his new job brought him closer to the Green Bay

Packers, too.

The rest is history. Robbie worked for the Morton fam-

ily for 45 years, right up until his death in 2006. He was

instrumental in staffing the early Neenah stores and devel-

oping the pharmacy’s nursing home business alongside his

lifelong friend Peter Morton.

Sue and Robbie raised their family in Neenah, and Sue

says the Mortons treated them like family, too. The Robin-

sons had Holly, Mark and Marty who grew up to be a pre-

school teacher, lawyer and professor of jazz music, respec-

tively. Although their children originally had negative feel-

ings about their dad being a pharmacist – back then, Robbie

worked every other weekend and every other night until the

pharmacy closed at 10 p.m. – they were “flabbergasted” at

the number of friends at his funeral and the depth of feel-

ing they had for their dad, Sue said.

When Sue started her 26-year career as a preschool dir-

ector after Holly was born, Robbie would often take one or

more of the kids with him to Vallhaven a couple of morn-

ings a week to check meds. (No doubt a cute little Robinson

did more for the nursing home residents than the drugs

Robbie was doling out.)

Robbie’s work ethic was well

known and respected. In fact,

no one recalls a single sick

day during his lifetime of

service at Morton. His

dedication as a hospice

volunteer, professional

and friend lives on as a

model for the future of

Morton Pharmacy. ❖

A Lifetime of Service:Millard D. Robinson (Robbie), R.Ph.

Millard D. Robinson (Robbie),R.Ph., worked for Morton Pharmacyfor 45 years and was a highly valued andmuch loved member of the Mortonfamily.

ROBBIE’S WORK ETHIC WAS WELL KNOWN AND RESPECTED. IN FACT, NO

ONE RECALLS A SINGLE SICK DAY DURING HIS LIFETIME OF SERVICE.{


timeline}{2000

GGINNY BOLWERK was a Morton customer before she

became a Morton employee. When she worked at the Kim-

berly Clark office on Commercial Street in Neenah, she’d walk

to “108” on West Wisconsin Avenue and eat an egg salad sand-

wich at the soda fountain for lunch.

When she started as a clerk at Morton’s in 1986, she was in

charge of the Ben Franklin dime store product line within the

Morton Drug store at 1112 South Commercial Street.

“Back then we had yarn, knitting needles, brooms, mops,

pots and pans. They used to say, ‘If you can’t find it anywhere

else, try Morton’s’” she recalls.

Today, Ginny works in customer service in the corporate

office and takes customer calls after statements are sent out.

“The best part is to start a call with someone who is

unhappy and then hear a smile in their voice at the end.” ❖

Ginny Bolwerk


did you know? ?In 1972, the antidepressant Prozac (fluoxetine) is developed. It’s not until 1987 that Prozac receives approval for use in the United States.

The former Oshkosh Clinic Pharmacy location is closedand Morton Pharmacy relocated to a newly constructed10,000 square-foot pharmacy and convenience food storein the Shops at Park Plaza in downtown Oshkosh.

Morton Pharmacy makes its largest acquisition in the form of four on-site clinic pharmacylocations from Affinity Medical Group. These four new pharmacies were located on Rich-mond Street in Appleton, within Mercy Oakwood and at a clinic on Koeller Street in Osh-kosh, and on Lincoln Street in Neenah. Morton has 11 pharmacies.

>>>>>>>>>> 22


75T H E P E O P L E



timeline}{2004 2006

The original Morton Pharmacy in downtown Neenah isclosed and consolidated with the South Commercial Street

location in a brand new 6,200 square-foot store in theShops at Mahler Farms. This is the time when Peter Morton

begins his gradual retirement from active practice. Afterone year, Morton opens and closes a pharmacy within thePiggly Wiggly grocery store on Midway Road in Menasha. >>>>>>>>>> 23

75T H E P E O P L E

JJOHN STOLLA has seen a lot in his 22 years as a Morton

delivery driver. Longtime customers have passed away,

employees have come and gone, and he’s absolutely amazed

that he ever survived without a cell phone.

“Back when I started (in 1985), there were only three stores

in Neenah and Menasha, so if someone needed John, they just

called ahead to the next store and left a message for me.”

Even after putting in an average of 90 miles a day, John still

wouldn’t trade his job behind the wheel for an office job. “I

love being out on the road, not stuck inside.” In fact he likens

his responsibilities to that of a mailman – no matter the weath-

er, deliveries must be made!

Some of the perks to his job are elderly ladies handing him

a tin of homemade cookies at the door, or an older person on

a fixed income who still attempts to give him a tip.

“I know my stop is very important to many of them. It’s my

delivery, but it’s also a chance to chat a little bit.” ❖

John Stolla


did you know? ?In 1986, the first genetically-engineeredvaccine for hepatitis B gains FDA approval.In 1987, the FDA approves the use of AZT in the treatment of AIDS.

In February, MortonPharmacy opens its

new location in Darboyat N162 Eisenhower

Drive, Appleton.


timeline}{2005

2006

Peter Morton sells hisownership interest inMorton Pharmacy in

equal parts to his fourchildren: Steve, David,Kathryn and Jennifer.

In September, the Morton Pharmacy within theAffinity Medical Group Clinic on Richmond Streetin Appleton is closed. Staff are relocated to aclosed shop pharmacy in Menasha entirely dedi-cated to serving the needs of nursing homes andassisted living facilities that contract with MortonPharmacy for residents’ prescriptions.

EEVERY ROBOT needs a name. Officially, it’s a

ScriptPro robotic prescription dispensing system, but the

staff of Neenah’s Morton Pharmacy quickly named its new

team member “Toledo” after a charismatic – and apparent-

ly very efficient – pharmacy tech who left to pursue more

schooling.

Installed in early 2007, Toledo holds 182 different drugs,

specifically chosen because they are the most regularly pre-

scribed. At this time, Toledo fills nearly half of all prescrip-

tions at the Neenah pharmacy, yet pharmacist manager Jeff

Cushman explained the importance of the robot and

humans working together to ensure Toledo’s accuracy.

Prescriptions are input, and if the drug is one of the 182,

Toledo will select the vial, count the tablets and wrap the

label. Pharmacists and technicians must verify the fill by

scanning the barcode on the bottle. Toledo displays a pic-

ture of the tablet that results from the scan and the staff

member matches the screen image to what’s in the bottle.

Jeff Cushman also explained that staffers do 10 to 12

manual counts per day to ensure that the robot is properly

filling the vials.

The last quality control check is when the pharmacist

checks the patient’s profile to ensure there will not be any

complications or drug interactions.

“Over the years, pharmacy has become more about vol-

ume and filling more prescriptions. Our robot allows us to

use fewer resources to do the manual work and frees us up

to interact more with our customers,” Cushman said. ❖

‘Toledo’ Dispenses Drugs

In September, MortonPharmacy opens itsnewest store in Green-ville at N1788 Lily of theValley Drive – Morton’s11th location.

2006

In July, MortonPharmacy celebrates

75 years in business with11 retail pharmacies, Morton Safety and a closed-shop phar-macy dedicated to serving the needs of long-term care facilities.The company employs 160 people and boasts more than $40million in annual sales.

2007


75T H E P E O P L E




75T H E M E M O R I E S

MortonI HAVE SUCH wonderful memories of Morton’s

Drug Store. From an early age, I recall my parents talk-

ing about how they met. My dad, Harold Mahoney,

went to college at the “University of Milwaukee” and

moved to Neenah where he landed a job in the phar-

macy on Wisconsin Avenue in Neenah. He often

told of how they had to actually mix the drugs. My

mother, Lucille, moved to Neenah from Marsh-

field and was working across the street from

Morton’s at Oak’s Candy Store. They served

lunches there and Dad would walk across the

street and eat lunch. That’s how they met and

later married.

My story begins later, in 1960, when my life-

long friend, Charlotte Thiessen Larsen, and I

started to work for the George Banta Company in

the mailing department. On Wednesdays we

would get paid and every week came to down-

town Neenah to shop at Jeffrey’s, Tew’s and Jand-

rey’s. Then we would go to Morton’s soda fountain

for a tuna sandwich and chocolate sundae with

marshmallow topping. It was the highlight of our

shopping. Good memories of such a clean store and

friendly people. I wish we could walk back in time

for just one more sundae! ❖

MemoriesS E V E N T Y - F I V E Y E A R S O F

Reflections of a family-friendly pharmacy

Harold Mahoneyand Lucille Smart,September, 1938

– Colleen Mahoney Pawlowski, Neenah




W

II

WHEN I WAS in high school, I worked at the soda fountain when the

store was on West Wisconsin. Sodas and malteds were popular, but so were

phosphates. They were a new drink made by adding soda water to flavored

syrups. We also served sandwiches. Of course there were regular customers

who had their favorites. One man ordered a liverwurst on toast and a malt

every time he came in. My best friend and I came to Mort’s for dinner every

Friday night before we went to a movie at the theatre that was across the

street. Those were the days! ❖

– Joan Tuchscherer Holloway

I HAVE FOND memories of the Morton store on Commercial Street,

next to Shorelane Beverage. Peter Morton knew our names when we were in

first or second grade. My brother and I used to go down Crescent Drive and

sneak through the Johnson’s back yard to get to the store. We’d look and

look, carefully making our decision, spending our limited funds on the best

candy of those days. Your commitment to Neenah and the surrounding area

– both corporately and personally – is tremendous. ❖

– Keith J. Carpenter

IN THE 1940s when I was a teenager, the place to hang out was Mort’s,

which was located on East Wisconsin Avenue next to the old National

Manufacturer’s Bank. There were two sides to the store, one the pharmacy

and the other the soda fountain where “Dead Eyes” Owens served sodas,

malts and sundaes. There were also booths and a juke box.

In the rear of the soda bar, near the rear door, were the pinball machines.

It cost a nickel to play. Some of the ingenious ones in our group decided

that slugs could substitute for nickels, so we would manufacture slugs made

of lead. For the most part, these slugs worked very well, but once in a while

would get stuck in the machine. When it happened, we would casually walk

away or make a beeline for the back door. Charlie Morton never said any-

thing to us at the time, although we knew that he knew what was going on.

I’ve always been a patron of Morton Drug Co. One day, when I was

probably in my 20s, Charlie (Mort, as we called him) was filling a prescrip-

tion for me and I asked if he remembered when I was in school and put

slugs in the pinball machines. He said he knew what we were doing, but he

never kicked us out. If he did, we may never have come back. “But look at

you now,” he mentioned many of us by name. “You’re still some of my best

customers.” ❖

– Jim Powers



Harold Mahoneyand Lucille Smart,September, 1938

II WAS TAKING a break at work the other day and noticed a small article

in the paper that caught my eye. It was about Morton’s Pharmacy’s 75th

anniversary. Wow, where did the time go? It took me back to a younger time

in my life. It was the early 70s with a day just like many others, but not really,

because today it was my turn to ride with Dad in the “drug truck.”

Right about now you’re thinking, “What the heck is a drug truck?” Well,

let me explain. To make ends meet, my dad worked a full-time job during the

day and delivered prescriptions for Morton Pharmacy in the evening. So, to

us kids, Dad drove the “drug truck.” That night, I rode with Dad, sitting in the

front seat of the cargo van as he made one delivery after another, stopping at

each one of the three Morton Drug stores to pick up new orders.

To most, I’m sure this does not appear to be very exciting, but to a young

boy growing up at a time of no video games, no cell phones, and only three

channels on TV, it supplied me with a memory – a memory of time spent with

Dad, who is no longer with us.

So, in closing, I would like to say thanks to Morton Drug for the memory

you helped make that day. ❖

– Dennis Buch, Larsenson of the late Robert Buch, Neenah


PPETER WEITZ, a lifelong

resident of Neenah, worked as a

soda jerk behind the counter at

Mort’s on Wisconsin Avenue

when sodas were a nickel and a

banana split (with three scoops of

ice cream) was a dime. “Mort’s”

was the only place for the young

people to gather back then.

Mr. Weitz recalled one day a

woman complained to Charlie

Morton about the noise the young

people were making. She hinted

that Mr. Morton should kick them

out of the store. He told the wo-

man, “Are you foolish? They’re my

future trade.”

He didn’t appease that cus-

tomer’s request, though there

were a few times when the truly

rowdy had to be sent away.

Mr. Morton respected the

young people and recognized

them as his clientele in the years to

come. His plan worked – Mr.

Weitz is still a customer after all

these years. ❖

did you know?

?In 1989, Optometrists in Wis-consin are authorized to pre-scribe. In 1993, advanced prac-tice nurses in Wisconsin are granted prescriptive authority. In 1998, the FDA approves the male impotence drug Viagra. Zyvox, the first new antibiotic in 35 years, is approved by the FDA in 2000.

The “drug truck” in downtown Neenah, circa 1991.

An original soda fountainposter from Morton’s in Neenah.


K

W



MMORT’S WAS always there during my

childhood. It was the place to fill prescriptions,

get the latest Life or Liberty magazine, have a

soda or a Coke. And we always stopped there on

Christmas Eve on our way to church so my

mother could buy one last gift (usually a bottle

of perfume) for someone.

The thing I remember most is that we who

were in high school during the 1940s would

often stop at Mort’s after school to have a cherry

Coke and a small bag of potato chips (total bill

= 10 cents). My friends and I would sit in one of

the booths for an hour or two hashing over the

day’s school activities. The very handsome Char-

lie Morton never seemed to care that we occu-

pied a booth for so little for so long.

Another crowd at this time was composed of

wives and girlfriends of the military who would

meet their friends at Mort’s to share letters and

hopes for the future. Often those gals would

treat themselves to an olive-nut sandwich put

together at the soda fountain. My sister met her

future husband at Mort’s.

What a wonderful organization is Morton’s

to have survived and grown and still maintained

the “family” feeling. Those early patrons didn’t

realize they were developing a pharmacy loyalty

which would carry over to their old age. I would

wager a great deal that many of those 1940s

teenagers are now Prescription D customers of

Morton’s Pharmacy. ❖

– Barbara Jersild Hill

THOSE EARLY PATRONS DIDN’T

REALIZE THEY WERE DEVELOPING

A PHARMACY LOYALTY WHICH WOULD CARRY OVER TO THEIR OLD AGE.{

KATHRYN PAULSON ZISKE worked for Morton Pharmacy,

her mother Gen worked for 25 years as a clerk in Menasha, her sis-

ter filled unit doses for nursing home patients, her brother was a

delivery driver, and her dad worked in maintenance for the phar-

macy after he retired from Kimberly Clark. No wonder the

Mortons consider the Paulson family an important part of their

history, their success.

As Kathryn Paulson Ziske tells it, the Morton and Paulson

families naturally made strong connections beyond the work-

place. She even babysat for Peter and Darlene’s kids: Steve, David,

Kathryn and Jennifer Morton. When her sister was tragically

killed in an accident, “Grandpa Charlie” had a caterer

supply all the food for her funeral meal. “Steve and

Peter took such good care of us,” she reminisced. It’s

apparent the affection was mutual. ❖

WILBUR “WILL” VOSS made the move

from a 14-year pharmacy career in Clintonville to

Morton Pharmacy in1973. Back then, pharmacists

communicated their wishes for new positions via

the drug reps that traveled the circuit, and a rep con-

nected Will to Peter Morton in Neenah. “I worked one

year with Robbie (Millard Robinson, R.Ph.), and that was

a great experience. Then I moved to the Menasha store for

the next 13 years. After I retired in 1988, I still worked part-

time for four years,” Will recalled. That is, right up until a

new computer system was introduced!

Will was also the pharmacist who encountered an

armed robber at the Menasha store in 1974. He recalls it

was a rainy day, and the robber had the presence of mind to wear

a rain suit. “He was looking for drugs, but he took our money

purse, too,” Voss remembered. Since it was closing time, Voss was

alone in the store, and his biggest concern was, “How are we going

to part company?” Since Voss knew there was an exit from the

basement, he was relieved when the robber forced him to go there.

After Voss got out the back door, he called police, but the robber

has never been caught. ❖

A young Peter Morton loiters at hisfather’s sodafountain.



IIN 1947, NEENAH was still a

small town. There was a dry goods store

and a “dime store.” A penny bought

candy for the kids. Morton’s Drug Store

was right next to the National Manu-

facturer’s Bank and featured a full-

service soda counter where I worked

for 30 cents an hour.

One lovely summer afternoon,

two young men came in for “malteds”

to celebrate their sailing victory.

Teenage small talk and warm smiles

came naturally over the best malted

milks in town. Little did I know I

would meet Bob, one of the two who

happened in that summer day, seven

years later in Madison. We fell in

love in Madison and were married,

but Mort’s is where it all started.

We have been married 52 years

and he still thinks my malteds are

the best ever. ❖

– Pat Meier Schultz,Oshkosh

(Mrs. Robert Schultz)


did you know?

?In 2003, Prilosec OTC becomes the first proton pump inhibitor to be sold over the counter. In 2005, the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin celebrates 125 years of organized pharmacy in thestate. Peter Morton served as the organization’s president from 1977-1978.

Pat and Robert Schultzcut their wedding cake.The couple’s 52-yearmarriage all started atMort’s in Neenah.

TEENAGE SMALL TALK AND WARM SMILES

CAME NATURALLY OVER THE BEST MALTED

MILKS IN TOWN ... WE HAVE BEEN MARRIED

52 YEARS AND HE STILL THINKS MY

MALTEDS ARE THE BEST EVER.

{


Corporate Office: 201 East Bell Street, Neenah, Wisconsin920.727.3853 • www.mortonpharmacy.com


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