Winthrop is truly a "Lost Civilization"

My first company in the industry was Winthrop back in 1970 in Amarillo, Texas. I stayed with the company for three years and then went to Boehringer Ingelheim where I remained for 36 years. I just retired last year. I only mention this because I had many friends with Winthrop in those early years. I am also saddened a little because it appears there are few left that remember those days. I look back on those three years and realize that Winthrop really had a very good line of products. I hope Johnny Watson, Andy Stotts, Blaise McGuey (spelling may have left me), Jack Canaday, Clark Lowe, and others are still alive and doing well. I know I lost my good friend Bob Byrd in Tulsa a few years ago.

 

I think we definitely have exchanged information before. Wow, 1973! I'll just say a lot of water has gone under the bridge. I though Harry O was one of the better DM's at the time. Johnny Watson started in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Worked for a nutty guy named Joe Rutlege.
Pete Guarino may have been one of the best salesmen I have ever been around. He taught me two things---patience and "killem with kindness". Those concepts still work today. Winthrop went the way of so many companies in our era (merger, consolidation, etc). I agreee with you---what a wonderful product line and company. I do not regret going to Boehringer Ingelheim. By being private, they have never been bought or taken over although not without their own set of problems.

 

I was Breon Labs- class of 1972 in Buffalo NY. Stayed until 1986 and survived the Winthrop incorporation. Retired in December at 65 when I could not find a "rabbi" to help me to 66. Enjoying my retirement immensely and would love to hear from fellow Alumni. Best to all.

 

Started with Breon in 1982 ... finished with GE in 2005. The Breon and Winthrop-Breon days were pretty good. Things went to h-e-double-hockey-sticks once Government Electric took the reigns.

 

Gosh, it has been a long time since anyone wrote of the old days of Winthrop (and even Breon) and Sterling Drug.

It's been about 20 years since the "Winthrop Laboratories" or "Winthrop Pharmaceuticals" name went away from the lexicon (to be replaced with Sanofi Winthrop for awhile, I believe Sanofi does run a generics operation under the name Winthrop nowadays).