James (Jim) passed away on August 26, 2022 at the age of 97.

Jim was born and raised in Kamloops, BC with 3 brothers and 3 sisters where he went to school and worked for his family’s businesses in his youth before completing a degree at the UBC School of Pharmacy in 1954.

Jim’s dedication to the pharmaceutical sciences can be traced to losing a leg in childhood in an accident and his keen awareness that the latest drugs of the day saved his life.

Jim’s long and successful career in retail pharmacy began at Lee’s Pharmacy in Vancouver’s Chinatown, then in Dawson Creek, followed by positions at Tobin and Reliable Drugs, Cunningham Drugs and as a manager of the new Shoppers Drug Mart franchise on Broadway and Commercial.

Jim founded Alpha Pharmaceuticals in 1978. As president and CEO of Alpha, Jim pioneered the use of then state of the art microcomputers and software to offer same day prescription drug delivery to BC pharmacies. Alpha grew to a company of 55 employees providing pharmacies all over B.C. with two deliveries a day before closing in 1996.

Alpha’s success was directly attributable to Jim’s amazing energy, commitment to excellent customer service, fair dealing and dedication to independent neighbourhood pharmacies.

Jim led by example and his work ethic provided opportunities for the scores of people he employed over the years as well as supporting many pharmacists and their small businesses.

Jim’s family wishes to honour the life and work of James Eng Wing (BSc (Pharm) 1954) by supporting students in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC. It is the family’s desire to raise funds for an endowed award at UBC to continue in perpetuity. Each year, UBC educates close to 900 undergraduate students and trains more than 50 graduate student in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Your generous donation will support the next generations of pharmacists’ service to community honouring Jim’s dedication to the profession.