Mark Ekiss was born in Guthrie, OK, and worked as a soda fountain clerk and delivery boy after school and on weekends at a local drug store. Upon graduation from Guthrie High School in 1940, he enlisted in the U.S. navy and served overseas until his discharge in 1946. After receiving an honorable discharge from the navy, he enrolled in The University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, graduating with a B.S. in Pharmacy in 1949.

After passing the State Board of Pharmacy exam, Mark went to work at Murray Drug Store in Guthrie, and worked there until being recalled to military service during the Korean conflict. Following his second discharge, he returned to Guthrie. The drug store he purchased there became Mark's Drug Store, which he operated until his retirement.

During his half-century of membership in the Guthrie Rotary Club, Mark chaired various committees, served on their board, and was president in 1964-65. In 1985, he was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow. Additionally, he is a long time member of the Guthrie Chamber of Commerce, having served as a member of the board of directors on several occasions. He is a member of a Shrine Club and the Scottish Rite Society.

Mark currently serves as a member of the Logan County Hospital and Medical Center. He was appointed and has served at the Free Clinic of Guthrie. Over the years, he has participated and sponsored many Little League baseball, soccer and bowling teams in his community. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Logan County Guidance Center. Mark is an active member of the First United Presbyterian Church and has served as an elder, session member, deacon, and as a member of several church committees.

He was an active participant in the formation of the Oklahoma Pharmacy Heritage Foundation, and is its current president. Mark has served as curator, totally as a volunteer, for the Oklahoma Frontier Drug Store Museum since its inception in 1992. While many have been involved since the opening, it has been primarily through the efforts of Mark Ekiss that the museum has been highly successful. A recent accomplishment of Mark's was in writing and obtaining a $12,000 grant from the state to facilitate storage and proper cataloguing of historical items in the museum.

Mark was honored in 1997 as recipient of the prestigious Wyeth-Ayerst Bowl of Hygeia Award. He married his high school sweetheart, Audine Snyder, in 1944; they have four children, three girls and one boy. They now have eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Audine was deceased in 1998.

The criteria used in the selection for this award are based on traits which characterized the life of Dr. Bienfang; "service orientation, sensitivity to human needs, ability to communicate verbally and in writing, ability to inspire fellow practitioners, leadership within the profession and a broad base of interests and accomplishments within and outside of pharmacy." Mark Ekiss epitomizes these qualities.