ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — The story goes: “Way back, a long time ago, “Pop” (Walter) Hammond built a new shopping center, and we moved there in May of 1960,” said Betty Rawls of Lee Drugs.

That shopping center is now where Greer’s is on Highway 59. Four other stores were open in the plaza.

It was new territory for the William “Bill” Rawls and his wife, Betty. The couple had purchased Lee Drugs, Inc. from Webb and Sonny Lee a short time before.

“Bill had a friend looking for a drug store,” explained Betty. She added that the Rawls and Ben Barnhill bought the store together, and later the Rawls bought out Barnhill.

Bill Rawls got the idea that pharmacy would be a good career in the Army.

“I joined up and did some of that type of stuff,” said Rawls.

He added that he went to Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) to get his degree in pharmacy. He worked in Florida for a time before finding Lee Drugs.

“We liked the small town,” said Betty.

While the pharmacy has a robot, nicknamed “Rosie” after the robotic maid on the “Jetsons,” to fill some prescriptions, personal service is still the norm at Lee Drug.

“We would get telephone calls in the middle of the night,” recalled Betty.

That meant that Bill would leave home, head to the store and fill the prescription.

Donna R. Brown, the couple’s daughter said, “Dad would say that people don’t always get sick during store hours.”

Betty recalls fielding calls from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach from people in search of an open pharmacy late at night. “Chain stores” weren't open odd hours then.

“I’d ask if they knew how far they were coming,” she recalled.

Bill has retired, and the store is now operated by Head Pharmacist Susan Rawls Baker, and the couple’s other daughter, Donna R. Brown, works in the store as a pharmacy technician.

Other pharmacists at the store include, Jimmy Stapleton who has been at Lee’s for 47 years, Melissa Durham Thomas, a 13-year employee, and part-time pharmacist Cleveland Robertson who has been with the store for four years.

Other employees include pharmacy technicians Michelle Holston, who has been with Lee’s for 23 years; Jessica Myrick Devine, an eight-year employee, and Lenora Hedden, who has been with the store seven years. Other employees are Tina Holston, 10 years; Barbara Boykin, nine years, Charlotte Betterton, five years; Megan Estes, eight years; Anita Farver, three years; Pat Mattingly, two months, and Traci Fisher, a month and a half.

Lee Drugs Inc. has had a number of students work in the store. At least one school principal, educators, and medical professionals have worked at Lee Drugs, Donna Brown says. Tim Cook, the second-in-command at Apple computers also worked at the store when he attended Robertsdale High.

“We believe in giving young people a chance,” said Betty.