Home > AIHP News > AIHP Issues a Certificate of Commendation
AIHP is pleased to announce that it has awarded a Certificate of Commendation to the Ferdinand Historical Society for their work on the historical marker for Ida P. (Hagan) Whitaker. In 1909 at age 20, Ida P. Whitaker was Indiana’s first documented African-American Female Pharmacist to receive her pharmacy license.
The Institute’s Certificate of Commendation program recognizes projects and contributions that have either advanced knowledge or understanding of the history of pharmacy or that have used the history of pharmacy to educate, inform, entertain, or to address or advance understanding of contemporary issues.
The Certificate of Commendation was conferred and the historical marker unveiled at the former site of the Adler Apothek and Ferdinand Post Office on Saturday, May 31, 2025. John Clark, former AIHP Director, presented the Certificate to the historical society at the ceremony.
Congratulations to the Ferdinand Historical Society and all those who worked on this project to tell Ida’s story. Read more about Ida and her story on the Ferdinand Historical Society’s website.
Left to Right: Dr. John Clark, former AIHP Director; Glenda Steele, author of nomination papers; Casey Pjeiffer, Indiana State Library; Kathy Tretter, publisher of The Ferdinand News; Dr. Sue Ellspermann, former Indiana Lieutenant Governor and president of Ivy Tech Community College.
Actively engaged in preserving the documents of pharmacy's past and developing materials for understanding the future.
