Craig (left) and Linda Sartin have awarded a scholarship to aspiring pharmacists from Harrison County at UM. Craig Sartin, a 1979 graduate of the School of Pharmacy, hopes to support the communities that have sustained his pharmacy efforts for four decades. Submitted photo
OXFORD, Ms. – Craig Sartin considers himself lucky for the many rewards life has given him, and now he gives back through grants to help pharmacy students at the University of Mississippi.
After graduating from the UM School of Pharmacy in 1979, Sartin discovered that he had entered a profession that offered unprecedented opportunities to serve others. At the same time, Mississippi’s Gulf Coast communities — his home for more than 40 years — have supported his pharmacy efforts.
To express his appreciation, Sartin made a gift to Ole Miss, by establishing the Sartin’s Discount Drugs and Sartin’s Vital Care Pharmacy Scholarship Fund, which will help aspiring Harrison County pharmacists.
“If I can help students achieve their goals of becoming a pharmacist, it will bless me as much as this gift will bless them,” said Sartin, a longtime donor to both the School of Pharmacy and Ole Miss Athletics. “I struggled to make ends meet when I was in college, so maybe this will ease the burden they have and allow them to focus on their studies.
“Everything I am today and the things I’ve been able to accomplish come primarily from God, but pharmacy, and especially my education with Ole Miss, has opened the door to everything in my life.”
His rewards are the result of hard work. Raised on a farm about 25 miles west of Columbia in Sartinville, Sartin worked vacations and weekends to pay for his college tuition. His work ethic impressed Dr. Hansel Janet, who gave Sartin a loan to open his first pharmacy in 1983.
Five years later, Sartin’s Vital Care opened and was one of the first home infusion centers in Mississippi. The company is now led by his son, Evan Sartin, who received a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical science in 2013 and his doctorate in pharmacy in 2016, both from Ole Miss.
A few years later, Craig Sartin and a partner opened another home infusion business that he still owns and operates.
“To see a patient’s face when you walk into their home with the medication to relieve pain or administer life-saving drugs; Well, you can’t measure that,” he said. “I’ve always said, ‘To keep it, you have to give it away.’
“I believe I have a moral obligation to help people financially, emotionally and spiritually, and I cherish those opportunities.”
Donna Strum, interim dean of the School of Pharmacy, is grateful for Sartin’s commitment.
“It’s people like Craig Sartin who really make the profession special with a selfless and caring attitude,” Strum said. “His gift has strengthened pharmacy education in our state and will have a positive impact on our students.”
After decades of dedicated service, Sartin’s retirement plans are beginning to include more leisure travel. However, he plans to continue to advocate for the profession by working with attorneys, lawmakers, and various organizations on pharmacy issues.
“Pharmacists are a special breed,” he said. “There is a reason why we score so highly on professionalism and respect. Most pharmacists I know will help you as a patient or friend in no time. We should be proud of our profession and try to pass that on.”
Sartin and his wife, Linda, are parents to two grown children, Whitney and Evan.
Individuals and organizations may contribute to the Sartin’s Discount Drugs and Sartin’s Vital Care Pharmacy Scholarship Fund by sending a check, with the fund listed in the memo line, to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655, or submit online at https://give.olemiss.edu.
For more information about supporting the School of Pharmacy and its students, contact Sally Rychlak, associate director of development, at sallyr@olemiss.edu or 662-915-3084.