Louis Mundy has been a pharmacist

in Tyrone since 1978, but his family has been providing service to residents

of Georgia since 1947.

Last week, Mundy's Drugstore

in Tyrone became an Eckerd and though Mundy is still behind the counter,

filling prescriptions, residents of Tyrone can't help but see their

town changing.

Mundy's Drug Store opened

in February of 1978 and it will always be remembered by local residents

because it snowed the day the store opened. Mundy remembers seeing cars

slipping in the snow as they attempted to make their way down the road.

The snow didn't keep customers

away, and over the years customers of Mundy's Drug Store could always

find what they needed, whether it was medicine, a greeting card, or a

cup of coffee and something from the grill.

The counter by the grill and

soda fountain may have looked like relics to people who grew up with their

pharmacy in their grocery store, but for some people it was the center

of town and a reminder that while some things in the world were changing,

there was one thing that stayed the same.

Mundy has employed at least

30 people in the close to 26 years since he opened his doors, and they

have all meant a lot to him, as do the people of Tyrone.

"I've made a living,"

said Mundy. "They have been good to me and I hope I've been

good for them."

Mundy and his wife, Carey,

have seen their daughters, Janie and Susan, both graduate from McIntosh

High School and the University of Georgia and start raising their own

families. Mundy will still be active in the community and the store will

still be open, but now under the Eckerd nameplate.

Eckerd has been discussing

the transition for close to 10 months, but the talk only got serious towards

the end of 2003, Mundy said. Eckerd expects to open a new store, adjacent

to the Bank of Georgia on Ga. Highway 74 South, sometime in the next year,

he said. At that point, no one knows what will happen to the building

formerly known as Mundy's.

Until then, Eckerd is open

and Mundy is behind the counter. He just answers the phone differently

now.

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