VCU news

By Joan Tupponce

Lesley and Andrew Maggard say their love story has come full circle. They had their first date at a Galen Society dinner as Virginia Commonwealth University pharmacy students, and now, 11 years of marriage later, they attend the annual dinner as donors.

It was Lesley who asked Andrew if he would accompany her to the dinner, held each year for School of Pharmacy donors and alums who are members of the society, during their P3 year in 2011. Serving as president of the Student Association of Consultant and Geriatric Pharmacists at the time, Lesley was invited to attend and bring a guest.

When she posed the question to Andrew, he agreed without hesitation.   

Six months later they were engaged, and they married the following year in 2013 — the same year as their graduation.

The couple, who live in Lynchburg, had the opportunity to grow as friends and schoolmates during their P1 year after they were placed in the same project group during orientation week at the School of Pharmacy. Fast forward two years, and they were once again paired in a project group during their P3 year. Only this time around, they sat next to each other, and eventually their friendship turned into love.

“We would see each other every day and work on projects together,” Lesley said. “Our roommates were in the same friend group. We would all get together to watch shows like ‘The Office’ and ‘Parks and Recreation.’ We would study together and go to various fundraisers and events like the Back-to-School Picnic, Winter Ball and the Chili Cook-Off.”

Attending their first Galen Society dinner made a huge impression on the couple.

“We loved interacting with the alumni and donors,” Lesley said. “One of our goals was to look back on our first date and attend the dinner as a donor.”

And that’s just what they have done. They are currently working to endow a scholarship in memory of Brittany Burnette Gibson, a double graduate of VCU who passed away in 2024 from breast cancer. The Maggards worked with Gibson at Centra Lynchburg General Hospital.

“Brittany was one of the first pharmacists I met upon joining the team at Lynchburg General in 2019,” said Lesley, who serves as pharmacy operations manager. “She was a trailblazer, modernizing clinical pharmacy at Centra as our first clinical pharmacist specifically assigned to the emergency department.”

The Maggards were able to seed a scholarship fund with the help of a VCU alum who also worked closely with Gibson. To date, they have raised almost $41,000 of the $50,000 needed to endow the Brittany Burnette Gibson Scholarship.

“We hope our story will help others choose to give back,” Lesley said.

The parents of two children, Andrew and Lesley have a clear understanding of what originally attracted them to each other in pharmacy school – and that remains unchanged today.

“Andrew has always had a way of making me laugh through his wit and charm,” Lesley said. “I realized pretty early on that he was my other half, and I didn’t want to go through life without him.”

“I love Lesley’s laugh,” said Andrew, director of outpatient pharmacy at Centra Health. “She is fun, sincere and kind-hearted. She is a strong, intelligent person.”

They are grateful to VCU and the Galen Society for bringing them together, Lesley said. “We have it to thank for our family.”