Sidney Barthwell came to Detroit with his family when he was 16 years old from Georgia in 1922.  He graduated from Cass Technical High School (go Technicians) and later earned his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy in 1929 at Wayne University (Wayne State University).  Wayne State would later name a scholarship fund after him.  Because he was black and discrimination was prevalent at the time, he at first was only hired by an unlicensed pharmacy that went out of business due to the Depression.  Barthwell took over the shuttered business and opened up a pharmacy under his own name.  His pharmacy went from one to a chain of 13 stores around the city until the last one closed in 1987.  Thirty pharmacists received their start under him.