The Alabama Pharmaceutical Association was organized August 11, 1881, in Birmingham, Alabama. The purpose behind organizing Alabama Pharmacists was to remove the interests of pharmacy from the care of the physician's organization and place them under a Board of Pharmacy. Further, the group believed that the lives and health of the people depended as much upon the competence and integrity of the prescription as upon the physician, and that the pharmacy should be elevated to the dignity of a profession. Finally, the educated, trained pharmacist wanted protection against untrained and irresponsible dispencer of drugs who was in business for profit alone. This, the group believed, could only be acheived by requiring all venders of drugs to stand examination and obtain a license from an official Board of Pharmacists, under the sanction of law. In order to sponsor and closely watch egislation, the APA in 1884 named a legislative committee, which has remained as a permanent part of the Association. The first pharmacy law sponsered by the Association was applicable only to towns of more than 1,000 inhabitants. This law made it mandatory for the Governor to appoint a Board of Pharmacy fro the state of Alabama, "to be composed of three druggists, who had a least five years of practicle experiance" and who were to serev one, two, and three years, respectivly. In 1937 the Association was divided into congressional districts with representation to the executive board from each of these districts. This revision of the governing body has taken several times in subsequent years. In 1971 the Association moved to a house of delegates structure made up of county association representatives, members of the Board of Trustees, and subdivision delegates. An executive secretary was added to the state staff in 1938. Mrs. Thelma Morris Coburn, who had served the Birmingham Retail Druggist Association as secretary since 1931, was named to this postition. Mrs. Coburn served in this position for twenty-five years, until her resignation on December 31, 1962. She was succeeded by Estelle Palmer, who served one year. In January, 1964, the title of Executive Secretary was changed to Executive Director. Mrs. Launia L. Thagard was employed to fill this position and served until 1981. Jon Bargainer is the current Executive Director. In 1945 the Association signed a contract with the federal government to administer the VA Hometown Pharmacy Program. Pharmaceutical associations throughout the nation participated in the program to channel prescriptions of veterans through retail drugstores. This contract provided that the government would pay with one check to the association, for all VA prescriptions filled in participating pharmacies. The association in turn disbursed to pharmacies and recieved a service allowance for administing the program. This program was terminated by the VA December 31, 1962. The Association began publication of the "Alabama Journal of Pharmacy" in 1969. In 1971 the Alabama Pharmaceutical Association became an affiliate of the American Pharmaceutical Association. The Alabama Pharmaceutical Association purchased its own office building at 2717 19th Place South, Birmingham in 1973