Ilion Alumni PharmacistWilliam Wardle - IHS 1964November 2020By Aileen Carney Sweeney
 A $9,000 SCHOLARSHIP for four years of study at Parson College, Fairfield, Iowa, has been received by William Wardle, Ilion High School senior, shown here with his mother, Mrs. Betty Wardle, 28 Arlington Ave., as they read the happy news. William Wardle - IHS 1964 - PharmacistWilliam Wardle was born in January 31, 1946 the son of Ernest F. Wardle and Betty Marie (Mosher) Wardle. Tragedy struck the Wardle family when Bill was only fifteen years old. His father was fatally injured while cleaning his gun in the kitchen of his 28 Arlington Ave. When Bill was in high school, he spent his after school hours stocking shelves in Charles Lynch's pharmacy in Ilion. Bill received a huge scholarship in 1964 to continue his education after high school. Below is the text from the February 11,1964 Evening Telegram article. ILION STUDENT IS AWARDED SCHOLARSHIP A $9,000 SCHOLARSHIP for four years of study at Parson College, Fairfield, Iowa, has been received by William Wardle, Ilion High School senior, shown here with his mother, Mrs. Betty Wardle, 28 Arlington Ave., as they read the happy news. ILION William Wardle, 17, Ilion High School senior, has been awarded a four-year scholarship worth $9,000 by Parsons College, Fairfield Iowa, for academic excellence. Wardle, who has been quarterback of the Ilion High School football team for three years, is the son of Mrs. Betty Wardle, 28 Arlington Ave. The scholarship covers room, board, and tuition at the college. It is one of three scholarships awarded to attract students from the east. One of the others went to a student at Walton Central School, Walton, N. Y. Wardle, who has been on the honor roll for both marking periods this year, was on the wrestling as well as the football team. On graduation from college he hopes to be a mathematics teacher and high school football coach. He is a member of the Varsity "I" Club. Bill transferred to the University of New York at Buffalo, the following year, and graduated with honors, in 1969 with bachelor of science degree, majoring in pharmacy.
 OWNERSHIP of Lynch's Pharmacy, 28 Otsego St. Ilion changed hands today. Druggist Charles Lynch, right congratulates the new owner, William Wardle, pharmacist, and Ilion native. Lynch, who has been in the drug business in Ilion since 1959, is moving to Scottsdale, Ariz., at the end of July with his family and will practice pharmacy there. Buys Lynch's PharmacyAfter graduating from Pharmacy School, Bill returned to his home town and began working in Lynch's Pharmacy. Below is the text of the Evening Telegram July 1, 1970 newspaper article. It gives a history of the business. Long - time Ilion druggist, Charles Lynch, today announced that he has sold his pharmacy at 28 Otsego St. to William Wardle, young pharimacist and native of Ilion. Lynch, who has owned Lynch's Pharmacy at that location since 1962 came to Ilion in 1959 when he purchased Griffith's Pharmacy, 9 W. Main St. Lynch plans to move to Scottsdale, Ariz. a city of about 50,000 persons, at the end of July with his wife and five children. He expects to practice pharmacy there. Wardle, who was recently named a partner in the Lynch Pharmacy, was employed there during summers while he attended the School of Pharmacy at the University of Buffalo and full time since he graduated with honors from the university in 1969. Lynch, of 32 John St., is a native of Herkimer, son of the late Mr. and Mr. Daneil Lynch, of Herkimer, after graduation from Herkimer High School, he served in the U. S. Navy for two years in World War II, then attended the College of Pharmacy of Albany. To Ilion in 1959 Upon graduation, he was employed by Stewart's Pharmacy, Rensselaer, for nine years before moving to Ilion with his family in 1959. Lynch is married to the former Bette Trainor, of Albany. They have a daughter, Beth 17, and four sons, Mark, 18, Kenneth, 13, Richard 12 and Brian 0. Wardle is the son of the late Ernest Wardle and Mrs. Peter Murray, of Ilion. He graduated in 1964 from Ilion High School where he won a fully - paid fouryear scholarship amounting to $10,000 to Parsons College, Fairfield, Iowa. After attending the Iowa college for a year, Wardle transferred to Buffalo University to study pharmacy. While a senior there, he received teh Outstanding Leadership Award from the Erie County Pharmaceutical Assn. Wardle is a member of the new Ilion Narcotics Guidance Council, and is a member of the Ilion Elks Lodge and Ilion Jaycees. His wife is the former Marie Calabria, of Inwood, Long Island. They have two sons, Michael, 13 months and Peter one month. 1984 'Businessperson of the Year' finalistsIn 1984, Utica Daily Press Reporter, Doug Carrol, featured Bill Wardle as a nominee for Businesspersons of the year. "Wardle's business history reads like a textbook case of a small business innovator and tough competitor. Wardle's Plaza Pharmacy is one of the largest independent drug stores in the Mohawk Valley. Store space is nearly 2 1/2 times larger than in 1970 while sales have grown from $225,000 in that year to more than $1 million in 1984...Computers are common in the drug store business today, but Wardle's been using one for billing and record-keeping since 1981 — well before some of his bigger competitors brought computers into their stores." Other text from the January 27, 1984 Utica Daily Press article appears below. "The greatest innovation in Bill's business is no innovation at all. It is the personal touch and old-time flavor of the service," says David Champoux, an associate professor of broadcasting at Herkimer County Community College and a friend of Wardle's. "Service is extremely prompt, always courteous and the customer leaves with a true sense of security in the integrity of Wardle's." Wardle's offers free delivery, free monthly blood pressure clinics, free notary public service and discounts for senior citizens and college students. Wardle also is deeply involved in his community. He makes his store available group fundraisers and speaks to school classes and other groups about drug and allergic reactions. He's held every office in the Ilion Jaycees and chaired most of the club's projects in recent years. Wardle is also a member of the Herkimer County American Cancer Society Board, the board of directors of the Ilion United Fund, manager of Ilion Midget League and a coach for Ilion Jaycee Youth basketball. Wardle lives with his wife, Marie, and their four children [Julie, Michael, Daniel and Peter] at 375 W. Main St., Ilion.
Urban Renewal - New StoreWardle's Pharmacy moved to a newly constructed building, at 50 Central Plaza, as part of the Ilion Urban renewal. Pharmacist Charles Neely joined Bill as a partner in the business. In 1974, they put on display, in their store, a worn leather-bound prescription book dated 1899. Neely found the volume in the cellar in its old location at 28 Otsego St. before the pharmacy moved for urban renewal demolition. The old prescription record book was kept by Ogden and Downs, pharmacists at the 28 Otsego St. location at the turn of the century. "It contains about 700 pages of prescriptions and drug charges. Some of the physicians who are listed in the book are Dr. Delavan E. Walker, Dr. R.W. Warner, Dr. W.D Wilson, Dr. A.C. Douglass, and others."
RetirementBill sold his pharmacy in Ilion and moved to warmer climates. He and his wife, Marie, reside in Loudon, TN. The Wardle Pharmacy is now occupied by the Dollar General business.
Julie Wardle Helmer - IHS 1993 - PharmacistJulie is the daughter of Ilion pharmacist William Wardle. She graduated from Ilion High School with the Class of 1993. She is a pharmacist.
Ilion Veteran Fatally Wounded Cleaning Gun - Feb, 6, 1961 - Herkimer Evening Telegram - fultonhistory.com
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