By Catherine Tabor
Registered pharmacist Brad Sturgis, 58, took a rather unique road to his job at College City Drugs in Marion, Ala. Born in Atlanta, Ga., Sturgis always had Southern roots, but his father worked as a sales representative for Firestone Tire and Rubber Company and his family moved around a lot.
He graduated high school in Akron, Ohio. Nestled in the Black Belt of Alabama, Marion is a far cry from Ohio. So how did Brad Sturgis end up working as a pharmacist in the College City?
It was during his college years that Sturgis embarked on the path that would lead him to his future career. As an Alabama resident who wanted a degree in pharmacy, Sturgis only had two in-state options in 1976: Samford University or Auburn University. He chose Auburn University.
During his freshman year at Auburn, his father bought a business in Marion. As Brad Sturgis says, “I came along later and decided that I liked it here too and decided to stay.”
Sturgis graduated from Auburn University in 1979 with a BS in pharmacy. Today, Sturgis says, “Auburn doesn’t even offer that degree. What they have now is a Pharm-D degree, so it’s a little different than when I was there.”
Sturgis has no regrets about his education path and says he is content with his title as pharmacist at College City Drugs.
Sturgis says he is glad he ended up at Auburn University during his college days. His favorite memories of Auburn, he says were “the atmosphere at Auburn and the friendships.” Sturgis returns to Auburn nearly once every year.
As a current resident of Marion, but also as someone who did not grow up in the small, rural town, Sturgis provides valuable insight to the struggles and achievements of the community. He says his favorite part about Marion is that “It has all of the characteristics of a small town. Everybody knows everybody. But at the same time, we have two colleges here, which kind of gives it an educational atmosphere.”
However, Sturgis is not blind to the needs of Marion. As a small business owner himself, Sturgis can clearly see that Marion’s economy is hurting. When asked to describe what it would take to improve Marion, Sturgis answers it would take “things that would help to stimulate the economy and get things going. We just had a foundry close that employed a lot of people and that’s gonna hurt. It’ll add to the unemployed.”
Even though Marion has seen some tough times in today’s economy, Sturgis says he still likes to go around town. Particularly, he appreciates being able to go out to eat at some of Marion’s local restaurants, spending time on the Marion Military Institute’s campus, and participating in some of Judson College’s events.
Sturgis recognizes the beauty in Marion, a place he calls home, but he also realizes that Marion faces tough challenges. “I think there are some business opportunities in Marion, but it’s hard to attract people to an economically depressed area.”
Doing his part to stimulate Marion’s economy, Sturgis operates College City Drugs five days a week. The drugstore is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. College City Drugs is more than just a pharmacy. Carrying a variety of other products, the store doubles as a gift shop.
Citizen Alum 