DANNEMORA — Leo “Skip” Maggy, the founder of Maggy Pharmacy, had a lot to celebrate Thursday.
Not only did he celebrate over six decades of service as a pharmacist with the community, it was also his 90th birthday.
The four Maggy children — Marty, Mark, Michael and Michelle — hosted an open house at the pharmacy that included music, Michigans and custom doughnuts from Dunkin’ emblazoned with “Skip 90.”
Music was performed by the Terry Mountain Boys, a local band whose members are friends with Skip.
The event also served as a tribute to Skip for his longtime service to the community; he worked for 67 years as a pharmacist.
“I didn’t do it for business,” he said. “I did it for the community.”
According to his four children, and several party guests, Skip’s dedication to the community goes above and beyond.
“As an only child, his customers and patients were his family too,” Michael Maggy said. “We had to learn from a young age that we were going to be sharing him with the community.”
Skip’s service extended beyond the pharmacy counter, as he become a trusted friend to many in the community.
“I have known Skip for 50 years,” Al Vann, a longtime patient said. “He has been giving me my medicine since I was 17 years old, maybe even before that.”
According to his children, Skip would often stay after the business closed for the day as well as deliver medicine, especially to sick children. When he did that, he always included candy to lift the childrens’ spirits.
Sue Vann described Skip as “a wonderful man” who is “truly a blessing in the community.” Tina McGee, another community member, agreed.
“Maggy pharmacy is the place to go,” she said. “Skip is such a generous man. He has done so much for the kids. Everybody loves him.”
His son Mark, who now co-owns the pharmacy with Michael, reflected on working alongside his father for 27 years.
“It’s really special,” he said. “We are very lucky. He touched a lot of lives.”
Matthew Maggy, Skip’s grandson and Mark’s son, graduated from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to become the third generation to join the family business.
“It feels surreal,” he said. “I grew up in the pharmacy. I watched them both do it and now to be able to come in and work with them … I really look up to them. … To see all this, he really made an impact on the community.”
Some of Matthew’s favorite memories are of his grandfather and the pharmacy.
“There is a picture inside (the business) of my cousins and me hanging out, eating here,” he said. “He would always set this place up to be a really welcoming spot for the community.”
With deep roots in Dannemora, it was only fitting for Skip to return home after he graduated from Albany College of Pharmacy to build and open the pharmacy.
“My father is a true American success story untold,” Marty said.
Skip’s first job was a paper route in the town. He also worked at Clinton Correctional Facility, which is located in the town, and became a military pharmacist while in the national reserves.
“He built this place in 1979 and moved in the year of the Olympics, 1980,” Marty said.
Maggy Pharmacy has since grown into a staple of the community, and that’s why people from all over stopped by Thursday to wish Skip a happy birthday.
“There are people here from at least a 40- to 50-mile radius,” Skip said. “There’s a family visiting from Texas.”
When Skip wasn’t busy greeting his guests and ensuring they had filled up on a Michigan, he was dancing and reconnecting with old friends.
“He is the life of the party,” Laura Haley, Skip’s Goddaughter, said.
To conclude the celebration, Skip was surprised with a special ribbon-cutting and a dedication ceremony of a new clinic at the pharmacy to him and his late wife Phyllis Maggy.
“I actually had other plans for the day. I was going to go for a swim, then climb Lyon Mountain, but they told me they were putting something together here today,” Skip joked to the crowd.