Linda L. Norton ’91, PharmD has witnessed dreams come to life. First as a student and later as a faculty member she has watched her alma mater launch the careers of her peers and her students.

“When you have a student come into your office and their absolute desire is to do a residency and become a clinical pharmacist, then returns with an acceptance letter in hand, it’s so inspiring,” said Dr. Norton. “You’re so happy for them, it’s a little bit overwhelming. Those are my ‘wow’ moments.”

She is a proud first-generation college graduate. Her late husband was her steadfast supporter, encouraging her to pursue her doctor of pharmacy degree when their two sons were still in preschool.

Dr. Norton is a champion of small group learning. Before every student carried a laptop to class, one of her signature assignments was a poster presentation. In groups of four, students would research a natural product, design a poster and present their findings to their peers.

“I loved watching how proud they were and how much they learned from doing, rather than just listening,” she said. “The process of finding information, researching it and turning it into something you’re proud of is rewarding for both faculty and students.”

In her 32 years as a faculty member at Pacific, she also observed the transformation of North Campus brick-by-brick.

“A weedy field became a state-of-the-facility because someone had the vision,” she said of the Chan Family Health Sciences Learning Center and Clinics, which opened its doors in 2003.

During her tenure, Dr. Norton served as associate dean of operations and chair of the department of pharmacy practice. In her role as associate dean, she balanced administrative duties with teaching responsibilities and worked diligently behind the scenes during the building’s renovation, which was completed in 2018.

“I’m most proud of the things we’ve done over time to improve the school and the student experience—our facilities, our curriculum and our experiential options,” she said.

Dr. Norton is honored and humbled to be awarded emeritus status. In her retirement she looks forward to spending more time reading historic novels, learning about wolves and playing with her “big, goofy” labrador retriever, Archie.