Joe R. Lewis was born on November 18, 1946 in Hyden, Ky. to Charlie and Orpha Lewis. Steady perseverance throughout his life would lead to Joe’s success and happiness.
He was born into a poor family, relying on the food they farmed for sustenance. Joe’s father, Charlie, worked in a coal mine to support his family. While Charlie worked to feed his family, Orpha and the children tended to livestock and worked in the garden. The children were forbidden to work in the mines after Rose, one of Joe’s siblings died while playing in a mine.
The family worked hard to make a living, even though it was an impoverished living. Joe recalled, “We had no electricity or telephones. Hell, we could only afford two meals a day.” Though this life was difficult, the family had too much pride to receive handouts.
When Joe and his siblings weren’t tending the farm they went to school—a school that was a mile away from their home. Without transportation, Joe walked to school every day usually in the tattered shoes of his older brother’s that had been handed down to him. From these hard times, Joe learned that happiness can be found in even the bleakest of situations.
It was in these same shoes that Joe and his twin brother, Jerry, escaped the classroom. Instead of going to class, the two would go fishing or watch television at a neighbor’s house. This eventually caught up to the two though, when both of them failed the second and fourth grades.
Joe would ultimately grow fond of school, however, completing high school at the top of his class. Unlike most of his classmates, Joe intended to continue his education. He had learned from the hard times in his childhood that perseverance and steadfastness were the only ways to make a decent living for himself. He applied to Moorehead University, Berea College, and Cumberland College. Joe was accepted to all three, but ultimately chose to go to Cumberland College at the behest of a Cumberland graduate’s suggestion.
Joe and his twin brother Jerry started attending Cumberland in the fall of 1966. While there he began learning how to play both the piano and the organ. Through this growing ability, Joe earned spending money and put money towards paying off student loans. In addition to earning money by playing music, Joe and his brother filled up vending machines and took on side jobs. Even with these jobs, the twins struggled. They couldn’t afford a meal plan, being forced to eat cheese and crackers for lunch instead. They also didn’t have a car, but managed to hitchhike home most every weekend. Joe was learning that hard work and patience were difficult but necessary.
During sophomore year, Joe and his brother saved up enough money to buy a used Volkswagen Beetle. This vehicle served as transportation for both the brothers throughout the rest of their time at Cumberland. Though the two brothers played music when they could, a vehicle allowed them to travel to play music, often traveling to Jellico, Tenn. to play in bars.
Because the twins were constantly practicing music, the college moved them to the basement of what is now Robinson-Cook Hall. This was where the “troublemakers” were moved. The twins definitely fit the description. Joe recalled “One time I stole a bottle of silver nitrate from the chemistry department and coated every door in the hall with it. Silver nitrate burns the top layer of skin, turning it black. The whole dorm had black hands for three weeks.”
Ironically, the administration did not kick Joe out. In fact, he was one of their brightest students despite the fact that he was constantly getting into trouble. Joe was a very determined student but still made time for happiness in his college career.
Joe’s studious side is illustrated by the fact that he graduated in three years with a major in Chemistry and a minor in Biology. Joe was taking 21 semester hours, working and still finding time to play music and have fun. Joe graduated with the highest GPA in his class.
Though his brother still had a year left of college, Joe desired to continue his education. He took the Air Force entrance exam, medical school entrance exam, and the pharmacy school entrance exam, scoring exceptionally high on all of them. However, he decided pharmacy school was the best route available to him.
Joe applied to Mercer University Pharmacy School, one of the nation’s best pharmacy schools, both then and now. The university was impressed with his application and asked him to come in for an interview. Joe later stated “They knew more about me at the interview than I did. For one reason or another, they saw something in me and accepted me into their program.”
Though Joe was unsure of himself, he made the unfamiliar journey to Atlanta, where he became a student in a class of ninety-nine.
Joe was immersed in an environment that was strange to him. All of his classmates seemed smarter than him and he wasn’t used to the hustle and bustle of city life. However, this only drove Joe to outwork his classmates that considered him unintelligent because of his country roots. Over the course of four years, Joe fought against this stereotype, ultimately graduating third in his class of forty-nine.
Upon graduating from Mercer, Joe returned to Hyden to work at Mary Breckenridge Hospital. Joe wasn’t only working at the pharmacy. As soon as he graduated, Joe began helping his brother manage a nightclub in Vicco, Ky. Within a year, the two brothers amassed enough money to buy the nightclub. In addition to this, the twins opened up a vehicle body shop and three apartments adjacent to the club property. Joe’s perseverance was finally paying off and he was happy.
Around this time Joe met his first serious girlfriend, Roxanne Amburgey. Roxanne was from Albuquerque, NM and had met Joe as a nurse practitioner at Mary Breckenridge Hospital. The two became infatuated with each other, Joe traveling to New Mexico every other weekend to see her. After four years of dating, the two got engaged. To celebrate the engagement, Roxanne’s father bought the couple a tract of land neighboring his in New Mexico. However, the engagement would not last. Roxanne did not want children while Joe did. Though heartbroken, Joe knew the relationship could never work and ended the relationship. Joe would never see Roxanne again.
Getting his mind off of the broken engagement, Joe put his energy toward self-improvement. In 1974, Joe earned his scuba diving license and began going on diving excursions in various locations across the eastern seaboard.
Joe also campaigned for a seat on the Leslie County School Board during this time, winning by a landslide. Joe would remain on the school board for sixteen years, before retiring from his duties in 1990.
In addition to joining the school board, Joe began traveling across the United States. Joe stated, “ I believe visiting other cultures is the best education one can receive. It changes your perceptions on life.” However, it was during the time Joe spent in Kentucky that he would meet his future wife.
Joe met Barbara Redmond while working at Mary Breckenridge Hospital. Barbara was a dietician and had visited Joe to consult him about dietary nutrition. This conversation sparked a relationship that would last ten years, the two marrying in 1984. While married, the two would create a child, Derek Lewis.
However, this relationship was also not meant to be. The two filed for divorce in 1986, citing irreconcilable differences. The two shared custody of Derek.
During this time, Joe went through a depression. He quit his job at the hospital and would only do relief work for other pharmacists. This was a dark time in Joe’s life, but his determination emerged. He preoccupied himself by challenging himself.
- 1986—Joe learned how to play the guitar.
- 1988—Joe earned his pilots license and traveled the U.S. by plane.
- 1989—Joe bought a Sea Ray boat and learned how to water-ski.
- 1990—Joe began investing in the stock market.
However, Joe’s biggest accomplishment would come in 1992, when he opened up his own pharmacy.
Hometown Pharmacy opened its doors to the public on July 7, 1992. Joe asked Doug Morgan, another pharmacist and close friend, to be his partner. According to Morgan, “I agreed to take on the partnership with Joe because I knew it would be a success. Joe is very professional and hard working. I was certain that our business would thrive from his background knowledge of the field."
The pharmacy utilized a low cost strategy, providing the community with the most affordable prices on medicines. Joe beat competing pharmacy chains by volume rather than price, establishing customer loyalty. According to the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy, Hometown pharmacy currently does three times the volume the other local pharmacies do—combined.
Even with all of his success, Joe remains true to his roots. He remains humble, watching his son grow and continuing to serve the people of eastern Kentucky the best way he knows how. Joe has reached his full potential through determination and perseverance and is happy with his achievement.
