Texas State (Southwest Texas State at the time) wasn’t John Lipinski’s first choice. After not making the ACT score needed for Texas A&M, he planned to go to Texas State and eventually transfer. John’s plans changed once he started his first year at Texas State and realized how much he loved the campus and community.

John paid for college himself, working at Wonder World throughout the year and during breaks. He was involved in clubs and activities from the get-go and was an active member and officer in Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE). In addition to his fraternity, John was a part of Student Foundation and Order of Omega.

“That was quite an honor,” John said. “It helped me get to know people on campus and be able to serve the SWT community.”

John spent most of his time at the historic (and reportedly haunted) PIKE house. The house was originally a boy’s school, then Hays County Hospital, and finally a fraternity house from 1969-1997. After PIKE sold the house, it was abandoned until it burned down in 2007.

In the 1980’s, PIKE had a working canon from the Spanish Civil War on the front lawn. John and his fraternity brothers used to shoot the canon at old cars on a ranch until the canon was stolen by anther fraternity. It was recently found and restored to its former, working glory.

John graduated in 1987 with his degree in Marketing, but his connections with Texas State didn’t end there. He made close friends through PIKE who connected him to the two employers he had after graduation. He eventually started working at the same medical distribution company as three of his fraternity brothers. Thirty-four years later, after many mergers and growth, John is still working with his fraternity brothers at McKesson in Houston.

As an account executive at McKesson, John sells medical and Rx supplies to hospitals, teaching institutions and private practices. Distribution was a challenge during the pandemic because they were one of the major companies tasked with distributing COVID-related supplies. The federal government turned to a division of McKesson to distribute the COVID vaccine, which involved finding warehouses that could keep the vaccines at -20 degrees.

“That was a challenge during the pandemic,” John said. “But we spun it on its head.”

In the last couple of years, John adapted with changes in medical practices that are using telemedicine and testing in-office. He was chosen by the president of McKesson to be one of only 12 people on the President’s Roundtable. He was recognized by his peers with the company’s Eagle Award by his peers. John plans to retire with McKesson eventually and focus his energy on traveling and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Alumni Profile: John Lipinski