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LENOX–Pharmacist Win Tyler, 83, is hanging up his lab coat and Tyler Pharmacy is closing its doors after 132 years.
The pharmacy has been a fixture of Lenox and a resource for surrounding towns since it first opened its doors Aug. 18, 1880. The pharmacy was started by Win’s grandfather, Oscar Dwayne Tyler, then run by his father, Oscar Donald Tyler, before it was eventually passed down to Win, who started working at the pharmacy in 1950.
“I’ve run out of gas,” said Win. “But I have found a very fine company to buy me out.”
Win, whose age and health have become a concern, said there was no one else to pass the business to, since his three children, Cheri, Jennie and Rick, have moved out of Lenox to pursue their respective careers.
As of April 1, Tyler Pharmacy will become NuCara Pharmacy. Alicia Lynn, who will be graduating from pharmacy school in May, will become the new pharmacist.
“I have exceptional employees,” said Win. “Without good employees, you have nothing.”
NuCara Pharmacy, headquartered out of Conrad, started as a small retail pharmacy more than 40 years ago and has grown to 21 locations. NuCara specializes in custom prescription medication compounding, home medical equipment, home oxygen and respiratory services, home infusion and IV services, after-breast surgery products and medication packaging.
Under NuCara, the building on Main Street, which currently holds Tyler Pharmacy, will undergo some remodeling and the pharmacy will benefit from technology enhancements to help with the delivery of services and products to the community.
“I am so pleased and so lucky,” Win said. “It’s in good hands.”
A lifetime of service
Win, who was born and raised in Lenox, said he graduated from Lenox Community High School in 1946, before he went on to the College of Pharmacy at the University of Iowa. Upon graduating in 1950, Win worked in the family pharmacy until he was drafted into the United States Army, where he served during the Korean War at the 97th General Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany, from 1951 to 1953.
Upon returning to Lenox after his service in Germany, Win went back to work at the pharmacy, where his wife Bonnie also worked for many years before becoming the city librarian.
Bonnie said, despite her husband’s busy schedule, he was extremely involved in the Lenox community his entire life as she pointed out a plaque on the wall, which Win recieved for his work on the Municipal Light and Water Board.
“He helped get the wind turbine put up in town,” said Bonnie. “The city put his name on the turbine. It’s quite something.”
The turbine produces 10 percent of Lenox’s energy, which helps eases electric rates for residents.
Win’s commitment to the community includes more than 50 years served in the Lenox Rotary International Club, 25 years on the Lenox Municipal Golf Board, 35 years as chairman of the Lenox Pool and Park Board, six years as a member of the Lenox School Board, 53 years on the Municipal Light and Water Board, and he has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognition for his volunteer service and fundraising efforts.
It wasn’t uncommon to find Win working 70 hours a week to make sure community members could get the medicine they needed.
“I’ve spent more years on Main Street than in my own house,” said Win. Win said he expects the transition to be smooth because of his excellent staff, who will continue to work at the pharmacy under the new management.