Edward and Donna Caldwell Collection, 1951-2012

Lawrence Edward Caldwell Jr. was born in Portland, Oregon on February 3, 1933. He resided there until graduation from Washington High School in 1952 after which he enlisted with the U.S. Army and served with the 88th Reconnaissance Company.

Donna Drinkard was born in 1941 and grew up in the vicinity of Harrisburg, Oregon.

Edward and Donna went on to attend Oregon State University where they pursued coursework in the School of Pharmacy and earned undergraduate degrees in 1960 and 1963, respectively. As students, both Edward and Donna submitted papers that were awarded the national Kilmer Prize for research in pharmacognosy. Donna also won the Newcomb Prize for her student scholarship.

When Edward graduated in 1960, he was the first African-American enrolled at Oregon State University to earn a degree from the School of Pharmacy. After receiving her bachelor's degree, Donna continued to pursue graduate work at the OSU College of Pharmacy and earned a masters degree in 1968.

Professionally, Edward and Donna began their pharmacy careers in Portland, where they remained for the duration of their working lives. Interested in pharmacy work in a hospital setting, Donna worked as a staff pharmacist at Providence Hospital and then within the Kaiser Permanente network, where she remained until retirement in 2002. She also served as an instructor in pharmacology with the Clackamas Community College School of Nursing from 1968 to 1971. Edward worked at Providence Hospital and Riggs Pharmacy until 1971, when he opened up the Portland Center Pharmacy. When Edward started the business, Portland Center Pharmacy became the first African-American owned pharmacy in Oregon. After the business closed in 1986, Edward returned to Providence and worked in the St. Vincent Medical Center's outpatient pharmacy until retirement in 2003.

In 1968, Donna and Edward were married and together they raised two sons.

The Caldwells were active in professional and community organizations and they were both longtime members of the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists (ASHP) and it's Oregon Chapter. Donna's interest in postmenopausal hormone replacement research prompted her to serve on advisory committees within Kaiser and the Oregon Health Resources Commission relating to policies governing estrogen therapy.

In addition to his involvement in ASHP and the Oregon Society of Pharmacists, Edward served on the boards for a number of regional non-profit organizations, including the Portland Rose Festival Association, the William Temple House, and the Parry Center. He was known for his deep love of jazz and helped to organize music events for the Rose Festival.

Edward died in 2010.