Doc Robinson,whom I first met during the 50′s passed away around October 12, 2009. I had attended his retirement party,when he closed his last business in January 1988, his 90th birthday celebration on August 29,2009,and his funeral service  at the Asbury  United Methodist Church in D.C. on October 19, 2009.

   During his career, Doc owned and operated six pharmacies.

Despite discrimination against afro american soldiers and sailors, during World War II, Doc became a Tuskegee Airman, flew 33 combat missions, in Italy with the 99th Fighter squdran,and in 1944 became a flight instructor and trained cadets until the end of 1945.

    I recall him telling me that when he stopped at an airbase in South Carolina,to pick up documents for his Tuskegee training, he was issued a 3 day pass,on two occasions,when his training had not yet begun, and not allowed to stay in the Shaw air force base that was segregated.When he finally bordered a pullman train to Tuskegee,he was encouraged to go to bed at  1:30 in the afternoon,so he could be segregated from the white passengers.

After receiving his military discharge, he applied to different airlines for a pilot position, but because of  his being an afro american was denied an application.

 I feel honored to have been a friend of Doc Curtis Robinson, a great man,pharmacist, and former Tuskegee Airman.

I first met Doc Curtis Robinson when I called on him at his drug store, Garfield Pharmacy, 2107 Alabama Avenue,SE,D.C.,as a salesman representing District Wholesale,52 O Street,N.W.,a  corporation that supplied small and large drug stores,with pharmaceuticals,health and beauty aids,sundries, patent medicines etc. The time was mid 50′s and small pharmacies were abundant throughout the DC,Maryland, Virginia area.We became friendly,and I assisted him wherever possible.

In 1959, I resigned from District, and purchased my own drug store, Smith Pharmacy,2518 14th Street,N.W.  With both of us busy, we lost track of each other. Doctor Martin Luther King’s assassination triggered the DC 68 riot,at which time my pharmacy was burned down. While Doc progressed to purchasing  five additional drug stores, I went into the news stand-gift shop business.

The chain drug stores expanded while many small pharmacies were forced to close their doors.One day, I decided to research which pharmacies were still operating,and discovered a Robinson apothecary. Many years had passed,and I did not expect  that this was the same Doc Robinson that was my customer ,a long time ago–I was mistaken. I recognized Doc’s voice rather quickly,he remembered me,and we decided to meet at his present drug store,a prescription pharmacy located in the basement of a residence,at 9th and East Capital Street.We met,discussing the many changes that had taken place in the industry,like computers,insurance with complicated regulations, ,escalated prescription prices etc. When I had called on Doc at Garfield Pharmacy,he mentioned to me that he had been in the Air Corps,but didn’t indicate that he was a member of the famous Tuskeegee Airmen.I had told him that I was a member of the field artillery,of the 42d Rainbow division,serving in France,Germany,and Austria.

I was well aware that the majority of afro american soldiers and sailors were segregated from the white troops,but couldn’t believe the harsh treatment by many white officers to black soldiers who risked their lives in combat to protect the U.S. against our enemies in World War II,and still treated as second class citizens..

      PART TWO DOC ROBINSON”S FINAL JOURNEY WILL FOLLOW

Disclaimer:  Article provided to Larry by Marc Fisher of the Washington Post and posted on this blog in memory of “Doc” Curtis Robinson.

Pharmacist Fills Prescriptions And a Social Need

MARC FISHER
By Marc Fisher

Just for fun, I called one of the 48 CVS pharmacies in the District and asked if it would deliver a prescription. “No, we don’t do that,” the nice pharmacist said. I checked the company’s Web site, which offered to mail prescription items within 10 days, or, for a mere $16.95 “express” fee, within six days.

Then I stopped by Doc Robinson’s basement on East Capitol Street NE. Doc delivers. Six days a week, when he locks up the Robinson Apothecary, he drops off a few medicines at his customers’ homes. “I take it by when I close, and we sit and talk,” he says. “I might stay half an hour and visit.”

No charge. “No, I couldn’t charge,” Doc says. “Because I deliver at my convenience.”

The sign outside Doc’s tiny warren says just “Pharmacy.” There’s no light in the stairwell; wouldn’t want to bother the neighbors at night. No sprightly music whisks you through your shopping. No ads clutter the carved wooden doorway. No aisles of dry goods or notions block the way to the pharmacist’s counter.

No, there’s nothing here but long and lean Curtis C. Robinson, 83 now, former Tuskegee airman, veteran of 33 World War II combat missions over Italy, graduate of Howard University’s School of Pharmacy, proud grandson of a slave who became a postmaster and a Methodist minister, stalwart survivor of the drugstore chains’ war against independent pharmacies.

Back in the ’60s, Robinson owned five pharmacies in Washington. He was usually located in the same building with a busy medical practice. He never did much with what’s known in the trade as the front end — the cosmetics, toiletries and whatnot that now account for most drugstore profits. He just liked to fill prescriptions and advise customers on their drugs.

“At one time, I was doing a hundred prescriptions a day,” Doc says. “Now I look at television, fill 15 or 20 prescriptions and look at some more television, which suits me fine. This is my life.” The doctors who worked upstairs in the three-story corner rowhouse left a few years ago — one died, another found a new location. But Robinson stayed on, alone. He’s especially alone since his wife, Florie, died two years ago. “Now I go home and look at more television,” he says.

Robinson Apothecary is an archive of customer records, a museum of office equipment of the past half-century, a stockroom with a specialty in geriatric drugs — not by choice or training so much as by the passage of time in the lives of a few hundred loyal customers. Robinson decided some years ago to refer new customers to his independent colleague down the block, Morton’s. “I don’t carry any pediatric stuff anymore,” Doc says.

He’s lucky to carry anything, given how the business has changed. “When I graduated pharmacy school, it seemed like there was a drugstore on every corner,” Doc recalls. “Slowly but surely, the chains grew. At the independents, the senior was usually unable to get the junior to take over the store. Then Medicare and insurance companies took over and took the profits out of the pharmacy. The only profits left were in the front end, and those independents that had no front end were out of business.”

Robinson’s front end is a lawn. “Only way I survive is no overhead,” Doc says. He and a partner owned the building until they sold recently to a young couple who are returning the place to its original role as a single-family house. But the couple want Robinson to stay, and Doc says, “I figure I have several more years.”

The chains have forced most family-owned drugstores in the Washington area out of business, literally surrounding Mom and Pops with new branches, then buying their prescription files and sending neighborhood institutions off to an unsought retirement. Those who have managed to stick it out have banded together in buying groups to wheedle discounts from wholesalers; even so, the chains have a huge advantage in their contracts with managed-care companies and employers.

But no chain can compete with what Robinson offers: “People come from their doctor, and they want advice. I don’t want to conflict with what the doctor says. But they seem to trust you more than they trust their doctor.”

Naturally. They’ve known Doc Robinson for 50 years, he comes to their house, he calls them to remind them if they need a refill. He’s what we’ve lost, and we haven’t the slightest idea how to get it back.

Marc Fisher
The Washington Post
fisherm@washpost.com

After getting discharged from the Army in 1946, I enrolled in a pre legal program at George Washington University,and worked part time for my brother Phil,who at that time owned three pharmacies. Later I switched to a pre-pharmacy curriculum,completing a portion of my subjects.The wholesale drug industry seemed more interesting,so I applied and secured a job with District Wholesale Drug,52 O Street,N.W. D.C.,in 1950. At this time there were two other wholesale drug companies, in the DC area, besides District,-_ Gilpin, and  Washington Wholesale Drug Exchange.which was a coop type wholesaler. The Eli Lilly pharmaceutical manufacturer,largest manufacturer, only sold its products through a distributor(even to chains like Peoples Drug Stores which became CVS, and Drug Fairs drug stores,which became Right Aide drug stores,),unlike most other drug manufacturers who sold direct to some pharmacies,and did not include the Drug Exchange as a distributor. Becoming a Lilly Pharmaceutical distributor was a great asset for District Wholesale Drug.

My first duty at District, was to select or pick specific items ordered by its customers. Occasionally switching around to pick different items,enabled me to become familiar with District’s inventory, both pharmaceuticals ,health and beauty aids ,and other stocked products. Because of  our duties,my fellow employees,and I were referred to as “pickers”. Unlike today, there were many small drug stores in the DC trading area, including Maryland, and Virginia,so we kept pretty busy,especially because the majority of merchandise ordered had to be delivered the same day.   Some later, I was transferred to the telephone sales department.The personnel in this department phoned their regular customers daily,typed the pharmaceuticals and other merchandise ordered,which as mentioned had to be delivered the same day.I was assigned a certain number of drug stores to phone,and as time progressed became friendly with many of the pharmacy proprietors.Occasionally, we were requested to check and see if certain pharmaceuticals were in stock,answer incoming calls,including “will calls” to be picked up our office. Often we suggested new incoming items,and different promotions,or deals.like today you can get ____one or two free with a dozen ordered,or deal recalled,Buy One Gross of Trojans,get 5 dozen free). If desired,,drug store proprietors could order items other than pharmaceuticals,in small quataties, like 1/6 of a dozen alka seltzer small,1/3d of a dozen listerine medium–pharmaceuticals were ordered like 1 x 100 Gantrisin, or 1 x 16oz of Robitussin. . Our normal greeting when phoning a customer, was “Good morning,or Good Afternoon,”DOC”,,District”.Often the customer’s reply was to call back.Since there were deadlines for deliveries in certain neighborhoods,calling back, often created problems. I do recall that on one occasion, after a certain customer responded with 3 or 4 callbacks,I called back,and instead of my usual greeting,”Hello District”,I stated PHARMACIST! in a large voice to give the impression that I was a possible Doctor-This change resulted in the pharmacist answering the phone very quickly and politely,and uttering a few unkind words,after finding out there was no doctor on the phone,but finally giving me his order. Today like everything else,–things change –pharmacies  phone in their orders on a computer,resulting in making  telelphone order departments obsolete. I recall one pharmacist always  replying to my greeting,”Hello, District”-with “It’s not easy Larry.”

After I had been at District for about 5 or 6 years,I was requested to work on the phones a half day and then go out on the “street”,as a salesman calling on certain customers. This was a real change of pace,and I enjoyed the change. Since the majority of these customers were very small or gave the bulk of their business to our competition,it was a bit- difficult to extract large orders,but in time I achieved good results,changing my accounts to change their purchasing habits and buy more from District ,recording larger orders in comparison to previous amount of items ordered.

Following are a few memories,of some experiences encountered as a salesman ,for District Wholesale:

When a drug store proprietor was delinquent in his payment to District,the salesman was often asked to collect the overedue bill.It wasn’t easy,the customer’s response was often,”My accountant has the check book”,or “come back next week,I’ve had some problems”.Many customers with faulty credit were placed on a COD basis and when out of funds would occasionally refuse the order,and request the driver to return.Mr. Wilson, the then credit manager would  inform  the salesman to become the collector. One day,I got the call–”Doc”  __ ___”_has refused a  COD Lilly order 3 times,you call him and deliver the order”-I phoned the delinquent “Doc”,who promised to accept and pay for the order. As I pulled up to the pharmacy, I observed a competitor’s delivery truck,and assumed that he was on a similar journey,so I rushed into the drug store,greeting “Hi Doc”! Sure enough the driver was Drug Exchange  on the same mission. Doc said wait, and rushed over to a vending stamp machine which he opened,removed some cash from the machine, and finally yelled–=”Forget the order, I’ve got to put my daughter through college.”!!!   One day, I entered a pharmacy, on Georgia  Ave,D.C., whose proprietor was not buying anything from District. I introduced myself,and went I mentioned “District”–(A true story) He commenced pushing me out of the store–yelling “GET OUT ,YOUR COMPANY DIDN”T GIVE ME ANY HARD TO  GET ITEMS DURING THE WAR”!!!  As I had heard,and commonly known,it was difficult for many wholesalers,even those involved with merchandise other than normal drug store merchandise,to obtain popular items because tremendous quantities were being shipped to overseas military posts and PX’S.  One day while waiting to speak to a drug store proprieter in Virginia,a lady,dressed like a character from the movie “Gone With the Wind”walked into the small drug store, holding in her hand a bottle of witch hazel,exclaiming, “,I WANT TO SEE THE PHARMACIST,THE CROOK CHARGED ME TAX ON THIS WITCH HAZEL”!! Even during the 50′s there was a  10% excise tax on so called luxuries like cosmetics,jewelry,hair tonics etc”. Since some items could be used as a luxury or medicinal purposes (witch hazel could be used as an after shave or for itching),vaseline jelly could be used for burns,or on the hair) the IRS published a list of such items that still required an excise tax payment.(Yes, the Excise Tax has been discontinued)

The manager of this drug store was familiar with the excise tax regulations-he walked to h;is phone as the unhappy customer seemed to be burning up,and said to her “I have the IRS on the phone,they say witch hazel is taxable”,The IRS wants to talk to you” the lady made an about face and continued to mutter as she walked out of the store,rather quickly..

Some time in  1959, a neighbor of mine who worked in a liquor store, told me of a run down drug store-luncheonette ,obviously lacking merchandise,on his block where he worked,that he thought could be a profitable drug store and was for sale. I investigated,this drug store around 14th and Clifton,recalling that I had attended Central High School about a block away,and observed a busy neighborhood. I consulted with my brother who thought it might have potential. My available cash was on the low side,but with my brother’s assistance,and help from an unheard of financial  lending institution,(The drug store Ice Cream Supplier,who along with other ice cream companies would often make loans to ice cream buyers,who agreed to purchase their ice cream needs from the cold lender) assume a loan that the proprietor of Smith’s Pharmacy owned to the ice cream company,we made an offer which was accepted,and now I became the proprietor of Smith Pharmacy, 2518 14th Street,N.W. My former employer District Wholesale,helped by giving me an opening order of much needed drug store merchandise,payable with a monthly payment (no interest),and after hiring a pharmacy acquaintance, Doc Martin Jones, I too now became a “DOC”.

COMING SOON!! MEMORIES OF OPERATING SMITH PHARMACY 1959-April 4, 1968,WHEN THE DC 68 RIOT RESULTED IN THE UNEXPECTED EXPIRATION OF SMITH PHARMACY!!

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