Carl Dean Lyons was born in Neosho, Missouri, and grew up in Picher, Oklahoma. Before enrolling in pharmacy at OU, Carl worked a few years and served in the U.S. Air Force. Following graduation from the OU College of Pharmacy in 1960, Carl became Chief Pharmacist at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa and subsequently served as Administrator and Governing Officer of Skyline Terrace Nursing Center, also in Tulsa. Currently, Carl is Assistant Dean for Outreach Communications at the OU College of Pharmacy in Tulsa.

Community service and leadership have been hallmarks of Carl’s career. Tulsa has come to know Carl through his service on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, the Center for the Physically Limited, and Tulsa Senior Services. Among his many other activities, he has been involved with the Chamber of Commerce and the Tulsa Rotary Club and served on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross-Tulsa.

Carl has been a leader in the pharmacy profession, serving as president of the Oklahoma State Nursing Home Association, the Oklahoma Pharmacists Association (OPhA), the Oklahoma Society of Health-System Pharmacists (OSHP), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), and the Federation Internationale Pharmaceutique (FIP). Additionally, he served four terms on the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy and was president of the organization four different times. His service for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) has involved leadership of several committees, including chair of the NABP Task Force in Compliance and Intervention. Carl’s expertise and advice have been instrumental in his roles as member of the OU College of Pharmacy’s National Advisory Board and the Pharmacy Alumni Association’s Alumni Affairs Board.

He has received many awards, including the A.H. Robins Bowl of Hygeia, the Oklahoma Hospital Pharmacist of the Year from the Oklahoma Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and the Ralph D. Bienfang Outstanding Practitioner Award from The University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy. His service has also been recognized by the ASHP Presidential Award and the NABP Distinguished Service Award. Carl was inducted into the Oklahoma Pharmacy Heritage Foundation’s Hall of Fame in 1998. He is a recent recipient of the Donald E. Francke Medal given by the ASHP for significant international contributions to hospital pharmacy.

Carl’s wife Joyce, along with their two daughters Cindy and Linda, are Registered Nurses and involved in nursing education. Joyce is also a graduate of The University of Oklahoma. Carl and Joyce have recently established an endowed scholarship to be given annually to a pharmacy student in the OU doctor of pharmacy program in Tulsa.