Dr. Champion’s family keeps pharmacy alive, preserving legacy
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Healing for the mind, body and soul. That’s what’s kept Champion’s Pharmacy in business for decades in South Memphis. Though its founder, Dr. Charles Champion, died more than a year ago, his family has kept the business and his legacy alive.
Dr. Champion was an innovative pharmacist and referred to himself as a “Pill-er of the Community.” He graduated from Xavier College in 1955, but segregation laws at the time did not allow him to attend pharmacy school in Tennessee.
“He was the first Black pharmacist at the City of Memphis Hospital, which was John Gaston at the time,” said Dr. Champion’s daughter, Dr. Carol Champion.
He went on to work in retail pharmacy and become the first Black pharmacist to work for a chain in Memphis. After years of experience, he decided to break away from big pharma brands.
“the reason that he decided to do herbals was because of his upbringing,” Dr. Carol Champion said. “He was brought up in Weakly County, Tennessee and that was among farming and doing things out in the garden. And he just created a loved for the herbs. So he decided after he left to create his own herbal pharmacy and we’ve been very, very successful at what we’re doing.”
Since 1981 people who may suffer from a cough, high blood pressure, blood flow problems, heart disease and many other issues have come to Champions pharmacy and herb store.
Dr. Carol Champion said that the store has served generations of family, prescribing not medication but a sense of community for the families who walk through their doors.
“It’s not only a pharmacy but a museum,” Dr. Carol Champion said. “When you walk in you can’t help but to notice the collection from Memphis and all over the South… We have pictures that are here from the 1920s that tell the store of the Meharry to tell the story of a lot of our politicians, a lot of our religious leaders. He has them posted here with a lot of pictures of the family.”
Continuing her father’s legacy, Dr. Carol Champion began a full-time role at her father’s pharmacy as he got older and she took over fully when Dr. Champion died in January of 2023. He was 92 years old.
Now, Champions Pharmacy is worldwide with internet sales, creating Dr. Champion’s Herbal Blend. But the family’s roots remain at their store on Elvis Presley Boulevard.
“So, we are the staple of the community,” Dr. Carol Champion said. “My father was very, very passionate and I am so grateful that I have his heart. I do have the heart for the people and to make sure that the community is taken care of. So we are here for generations and generations to come.”
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