Virginia Pharmacist Makes History

ARLINGTON, Va. – Green Valley Pharmacy in Arlington, Va. has been open almost every single day since 1952 – thanks to the hard work of Dr. Leonard Muse.
 
During the Jim Crow era, African Americans in Arlington weren't allowed to go inside the drug store to get their prescriptions.

After seeing how blacks were treated, Muse, nicknamed Doc Muse, and classmate Waverly W. Jones opened Green Valley Pharmacy.
 
For more than 60 years, Doc Muse has worked at the store seven days a week handing out medical advice. He never turned customers away.
 
"I helped them when they needed it," said Muse. "I'd tell them if you don't take it, you're not going to get well."
 
He often gave away free medicine if people didn't have money to pay for it, and he dolled out lots of fatherly advice.
 
"They have a lot of respect for me and my advice to them. I've tried to get a lot of them to go to school, get an education, and I feel proud about that," said Muse. "They come back and tell me how they thank me for being that part of them"
 
Despite the way African Americans were treated, white pharmacists in the area offered him their support.
 
"When I opened the store, all of the white pharmacist told us if you need anything come. Any drug that you need, come, we'll get it."
 
But things weren't all roses and sunshine in the early beginnings of the store.
 
" When I came here, I had a time with the youngsters and I asked the police to help me." Muse said.
 
The police told him "we can't put a policeman down in that neighborhood, but…if you make friends with those people, you'll get along with them better," Muse recounted.

"And at the same time they turned around and used the friendship against me, saying that I was in cahoots with them, that I was doing the drugs, that's the police department, but other people knew better, churches and different organizations that tried to help."
 
But Muse isn't bitter. He is thankful for God's unchanging hand.
 
"I know that He's helped me because of some of the things that I went through. He had to help me," said Muse.
 
Many believe that Green Valley Pharmacy is probably the first African-American owned pharmacy in the country. It is definitely the longest and was recently honored by the Arlington Country Preservation Society.
 
"There was Peoples Drug Store at the time and Drug Fair," Muse said recounting the names of the popular drug chains in the area decades ago. "All of them have gone since then. I'm still here."
 
The 92-year-old pharmacist was born on May 8, 1923 in Del Ray Beach, Fla. "Doc Muse" graduated from Howard University's College of Pharmacy in 1948.