Charles Kendrick, a 92-year-old Texarkana, Texas resident, is the first Black graduate of the University of Arizona’s R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy. Kendrick was inspired to pursue pharmacy in the 1940s by a successful Black drugstore owner. Despite graduating in 1955, he faced financial challenges when trying to start his own drugstore.
Unable to get a loan, Kendrick built a building on South Park Avenue. The building, which has never been a pharmacy, will soon house a Mexican restaurant and a Black history museum. Kendrick started the museum with a friend in 1998, and it contains over 3,000 artifacts. His daughter, Rhonda Kendrick Moniz, is working to reopen the museum as the nonprofit Tucson Center for Black Life.
Kendrick’s interest in history is clear in his museum. He guides visitors and explains the importance of each artifact. He also shares stories about the Prohibition era. Kendrick and his family are collaborating with Bryan Carter, director of the UArizona College of Humanities’ Center for Digital Humanities, to create an online museum. They are also considering creating a holographic version of Kendrick.