University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy Bestows Distinguished Alumni Award

PRESS RELEASE

L. Ray Nunley, RPh, of Ruidoso, NM has been named as the 2015 UNM College of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumnus, the highest honor the College of Pharmacy bestows.

Nunley, who graduated from the college in 1962, has led a distinguished career as a pharmacist and as a public servant, including serving as Mayor of Ruidoso.

He opened and operated Nunley Drug in Ruidoso from 1966-1982, and then spent the most of the rest of his career as a Walmart pharmacist . He was named Walmart's Regional Pharmacist of the Year in 1994, 1998, and 2003 respectively. He retired from Walmart at the end of 2014.

His professional career was intertwined with public service. He served as the Lincoln County Commissioner for ten years and the Lincoln County Commission Chairman from 1994-1995. In 1990, he was appointed to serve as a public member on the Board of Nursing where he eventually became the vice-chairman. Nunley also served on the New Mexico State Agency on Aging and to the NM Aging and Long Term Care Department in 2002 and re-appointed in 2004. In 2002, he was elected to the Ruidoso Village Council, and in 2006, he was elected Mayor of Ruidoso Village. In 2010, Governor Susanna Martinez, appointed Nunley to serve as a professional member of the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy where he served until 2013.

The College will host a reception for Distinguished Alumni on the evening of Friday, April 17.