The Road Back

To show off its new line of Christmas merchandise, McKesson & Robbins, Inc. last week gave a holiday-style party for Houston druggists. There was eggnog, turkey with all the trimmings, even a Santa Claus (and to help welcome the druggists, three feminine assistants in low-cut gowns). McKesson hopes its customers enjoyed themselves enough to run its Christmas sales in Houston up to a million dollars this year, or double last Christmas' sales.

By shrewd selling, McKesson has become the biggest U.S. wholesaler of drugs and liquors. It has come a long way since the dark days of 1938 when its president, F. Donald Coster, killed himself after stealing some $3,000,000 from the company, and forcing it into bankruptcy.

Last week, under able President William J. Murray Jr., McKesson passed a milestone. Announcing that sales for the year ending June 30 were a record $356.6 million, with a net $8,766,345, the company declared the first special dividend (25-c-) in its 116-year history.

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