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Zirl A. Palmer

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Dr. Zirl A. Palmer
Born1920 (1920)
Bluefield, West Virginia
Died1982 (aged 61–62)
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
Occupations
  • pharmacist
  • businessperson
  • activist
Board member ofUniversity of Kentucky Board of Trustees
SpouseMarian Elspy Sidney
ChildrenAndrea Palmer
Dr. Palmer’s place of burial is Camp Nelson National Cemetery.

Zirl Augustus Palmer (1920–1982) was an African-American businessman and activist in Lexington, Kentucky. He opened Palmer's Pharmacy in 1952 in an old building at Fifth and Race Street. He was involved in the city's desegregation and first Black board member of the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees. He and his family were the target of a Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1968.[1]

At the time of Palmer's move to Lexington, the city had an established group of Black professionals, among them were nine medical doctors, four dentists, and two pharmacists.[2] [3]

Due to segregation, soda fountains at the existing pharmacies were off limits to Blacks.[4] Although Palmer first had difficulty in locating an ice cream company willing to do business, Dixie Ice Cream Co. agreed, and his soda fountain luncheonette grew in popularity.[1]

Palmer understood the need to draw customers into the store In addition to the soda fountain as profit margins from medications was low. He annually crafted a Palmer Pharmacy calendar with photographs of the local Black community which became very popular. [5]

In 1961, Palmer constructed the mid-century modern building at 400 East Fifth at Chestnut to house his pharmacy, with two doctors, and a lawyer, opening Palmer's Pharmacy, Luncheonette, and Doctor's Office in 1961. The opening was reported in Jet Magazine in December 1961.[6] It was a franchise of Rexall, the company's first Black owned store. He was actively engaged in mentoring neighborhood youth, employing them and referring them to other businesses.[7]

Born in Bluefield, West Virginia, he was educated at Bluefield State College and Howard University, both among Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Since Blacks were barred from the West Virginia professional schools, Palmer found an alternative at Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy in New Orleans. He sought the financial assistance from his home state, getting train fare and partial tuition paid.[7]

Palmer was instrumental in founding a student branch of the American Pharmeceutical Association at Xavier serving as the first president. He also was a writer for the student newspaper, the Xavier Herald. [5]

The son of Rev, James Augustus Palmer and Lola Allen Palmer, he was married to Marian Elspy Sidney of Cartersville, Georgia. Both Palmer and his wife were veterans of World War II.[7][2][8] He achieved the U.S. Army rank of Technician 5.

His civic involvement included the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Chamber of Commerce, and Planned Parenthood. At his church, Main Street Baptist, he organized a health care program. Palmer was one of the first members of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights which is charged with enforcement authority. An organizer of Community Action, he was the first Black member of the Optimist Club and Big Brothers.

Report from Jet Magazine July 23, 1970 of KKK member conviction of the 1968 bombing of building owned by Zirl A. Palmer

He opened a second store in 1966 on Georgetown Street, which was the site of the September 4, 1968, KKK bombing. The store was destroyed and damaged three others in the West End Plaza. Eight people were injured.[9] Palmer, his wife, and four-year-old daughter, Andrea, were hospitalized after being trapped under the rubble for hours. In 1970, Klansman Phillip J. Campbell of New Albany, Ind. was convicted of this crime after a 90-minute deliberation by an all-white all-male jury and sentenced to 21 years in prison.[7][1] Following the bombing, he is quoted as saying that to protect his family, he retired and sold his businesses.[2] [10]

He continued his involvement in the community, including the UK Board of Trustees (1972–1979) to which he was appointed by Governor Wendell Ford. His Fifth and Race building is now the property of city government, which once considered razing the building. However, activists and historic preservationists have fought to allocate funds to preserve the building. An effort is underway to have the building on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

Dr. Palmer and his wife are both buried in Camp Nelson National Cemetery, Nicholasville, KY, Section H Site 513. [11]

In October 2022, Palmer was honored by being included in a mural, Standing Tall and Proud, on the Tazewell County Courthouse in Tazewell VA. Artist Ellen Elmes depicts eleven African Americans with ties to this Appalachian region. Among them are a representative coal miner and Lethia Cousins Fleming, a suffragist and teacher. The public art was inspired by a Nov. 2020 advisory referendum which approved not relocating a Confederate statute by a 7-1 margin. [12]

Street named for Dr, Palmer in 2022

In February 2023, an agreement with the city of Lexington, the United Way of the Bluegrass agreed to take over the property. [13] The Marksbury Family WayPoint Center opened in May 2024. [3] The centers are a United Way program which offer a one stop shop of social services supported by a coalition of agencies to families in need of assistance.[14] [15]

A new road near Shropshire and Fifth Street was named in Palmer’s honor in fall 2022. Planned construction for the road are a new Head Start Center as well as 10 single family affordable homes and a five unit apartment building. The Lexington Housing Authority will construct the homes and the city has funded the road. [16]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Musgrave, Beth (February 24, 2021). "Lexington to spend $300,000 to repair the city's first Black-owned pharmacy building". The Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Owens, Edward (August 17, 1978). "Interview with Dr. ZIrl Palmer". Louis B. Nunn Center for Oral History University of Kentucky Libraries. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Leach, Christopher (May 13, 2024). "New WayPoint Center to assist the under-served opens in Lexington's east-end neighborhood". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  4. ^ Smith, Gerald L. (Summer–Autumn 2011). "Direct Action Protests in the Upper South: Kentucky Chapters of the Congress of Racial Equality". The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. Exploring Kentucky’s African American Past. 109 (3/4): 363–370. doi:10.1353/khs.2011.0117. JSTOR 23388025. S2CID 154145361. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Welch, Eric L. (2023-06-16). "UK honors Zirl A. Palmer: Former UK trustee, pharmacist, and advocate in the African American community of Lexington". UKNow. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  6. ^ Janie, Rice Brother (December 7, 2017). "A Mid-Century Modern Symbol of Segregated Lexington: The Zirl Palmer Pharmacy Building". Gardens to Gables. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d "Dr. Zirl Palmer and Preserving Palmer Pharmacy". Bluegrasstrust.org. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  8. ^ "Palmer, Zirl A. · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". Notable Kentuckians African Americans Database. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "Bomb suspected in Ky Store Blast". The Washington Post. September 6, 1968. ProQuest 143333392. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  10. ^ Blue Grass Trust January 2021 deTour of Palmer Pharmacy, retrieved 2023-02-16
  11. ^ Administration, National Cemetery. "VA.gov | Veterans Affairs". www.cem.va.gov. p. Grave Locator. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  12. ^ Gholston, Adiah (2022-10-28). "Mural of influential Black Tazewell citizens added to county courthouse". Cardinal News. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  13. ^ Musgrave, Beth (February 13, 2023). "The city of Lexington and a nonprofit are saving this historic Black pharmacy". The Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  14. ^ Jones, Kenneth (May 21, 2024). "The historic Palmer Pharmacy is once again serving Lexington's East End". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  15. ^ "Projects". Marksbury Family Foundation. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  16. ^ "New road, Head Start Center to be named for pharmacist". City of Lexington. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
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