I know many of you love stories about the people and places in Lebanon’s history. I hope you enjoy this one about Raymond Medley and the Medley Drug Store, which was located at 221 W. Commercial in the building currently occupied by Walters, Staedtler and Allen, CPAs.
Raymond, who was born on March 11, 1905 and died on March 12, 1984, was one of the most respected and well-liked businessmen in town. He took care of his customers and their families and also their dogs and livestock.
He didn’t charge for the animal care and there were many families who received free care and advice from him over the years. When he died, his family found boxes of checks from customers which had been returned by the bank, and Raymond never tried to collect on them because he knew the customers were unable to pay.
Raymond's mother died when he was a young teenager and he was the oldest of his siblings so he assumed major responsibilities early in life. When he was about 16, he was walking by the Sam Farrar Drugstore. Mr. Farrar came out and offered to pay him a quarter if he would sweep off the sidewalk in front of his store. Raymond did such a good job that Mr. Farrar asked him to come back the next day. He was soon asked to work inside the store as an apprentice and this led him to develop an interest in the pharmaceutical profession.
Raymond was not able to attend high school and with just an eighth grade education he went on to Bowen Institute of Pharmacy in Brunswick, MO, and became a Registered Pharmacist in 1936.
He returned to Lebanon and began working for Tom Connor in his Drugstore. He bought the building which would become known as Medley Drug Store from Lester Ketner in 1945.
Missing out on a high school education meant he didn’t have
access to the kind of medical and veterinary knowledge he felt he needed to be the kind of pharmacist he wanted to be so he asked a prominent Lebanon physician, Dr. Preston Thompson, to teach him the basics about sickness and disease, and a Dr. King mentored him in veterinary matters.
Although he had fulfilled his dream of becoming a pharmacist, he wanted to do more than just dispense medication. He had a
compassionate heart for people and their animals, and when his customers didn’t have money to see a doctor or couldn’t get a quick appointment for something as minor as a cold or sore throat, or the necessary vaccinations for their dogs and livestock, they would go to Raymond.
Pharmacists were not allowed to practice medicine of course, but back in those days it was not unusual for a pharmacist to give advice on routine matters or to suggest over-the-counter medicines for certain conditions, and his customers appreciated that kind of attention. Raymond kept his drug store open most nights until 9 p.m. so his customers could fill prescriptions after they got off work.
He never turned anyone down who needed help. His son, Raymond Jr, told me about a customer calling the drug store by mistake when he thought he was calling a local veterinarian. Even though they were busy at the store, Raymond drove out to the farm where he discovered the man’s cow was choking on an apple. He was able to dislodge the apple and the cow survived.
Raymond loved to fox hunt. His favorite dogs were named Lou and Peg. He and his friends, including Frank Osborn and Stanley Arnold, would sit around the campfire and drink coffee and listen to their dogs. They knew each dog’s bark and this gave them bragging rights when their dog was the first one to catch the scent of the fox. Raymond loved horses and owned several Fox Trotters, and he enjoyed attending horse shows where he often served as Ringmaster.
Over the years, Raymond had several different employees working with him at the store. Four of them, Kenneth Nyberg, John Reese, Boone Norman, and his son, Raymond, Jr., eventually became registered pharmacists and opened up drugstores of their own.
Raymond’s influence extended into the third generation as his
granddaughter, Lorna Medley Patterson, followed her father and grandfather into the pharmaceutical profession.
I became acquainted with Raymond and his wife Eva when I started attending the Taylor Avenue Church of God as a young girl. Raymond’s son-in-law, Rev. Carl Peterson, became the pastor there in 1953.
Raymond became a mentor and a father figure to me. He and Eva would take me out to lunch on Sundays to bribe me into going to one of the old fashioned “shaped notes” singing conventions which were held all over the county. We would eat at the Commercial Street Hotel or at Munger Moss, or the Bowling Alley, or at the restaurant in the Greyhound Bus Station building where Walgreens is now located. I really didn’t need the bribery. I loved to sing, and since I was usually the youngest person there, I enjoyed the attention!
Medley’s had a food counter where they made old fashioned milk shakes and malts which were served ice cold in metal shakers. Milan and I often met at Medley’s to eat lunch in one of the little booths just made for two people. Their tuna fish and grilled cheese sandwiches served with potato chips and a coke were the best ever.
Raymond never forgot his roots as a good businessman. Until the day he closed the store in 1970, he always kept the sidewalk in front of his store swept clean. If his employees were busy with other things, he would grab a broom and sweep it himself. His story had now come full circle.
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