Interview with Nathan H. Kaplin, March 31, 1979

Interview Summary

Nathan Kaplin is a 1923 graduate of the Louisville College of Pharmacy which later became the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. Kaplin's parents were from Poland and immigrated to the United States in the 1890s fleeing religious persecution and poverty. He explains that his parents originally settled in Philadelphia in 1904, and his father opened a shoe shop. They eventually moved to New Albany, Indiana right across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. Kaplin's father continued to sell and repair shoes.

Kaplin talks about his earliest recollections of New Albany, Indiana. He states that they were one of only four or five Jewish families in New Albany, and he talks about the Jewish community in Louisville. Kaplin attended Male High School in Louisville and graduated in 1921. Kaplin then entered the Louisville College of Pharmacy, and he describes how small the college was at that time. Kaplin talks about the dean of the college and his wife and other professors. Kaplin recalls a typical day at the College of Pharmacy, and states that he, like most of the other students, worked while attending school. In 1922, Kaplin got a job at the old Model Drugstore. He recalls that his main worry was taking "the boards." Although he did pass, he describes the experience which included both oral and written exams.

Kaplin and a friend opened a drugstore together, but eventually had to split up the business. He recalls the difficulty he had financially during the Great Depression. Kaplin also talks about the important part the pharmacist played during prohibition, and explains how pharmacies had whiskey permits to sell whiskey to those who had a prescription from a doctor. He also describes how pharmacists would make "drugstore gin."

Kaplin compares the neighborhood pharmacy to large chain pharmacies, and mentions the trust that people held in their local druggist. He recalls that the pharmacists would have meetings with local doctors and attempt to form a close cohesiveness. Kaplin talks about the changes in the merchandise sold in the drug stores over his career, and changes in pharmaceuticals and pharmacist training. Kaplin also mentions the changes in the neighborhood where he had his drugstore at St. Catherine Street and Eighteenth Street. Kaplin talks about the Flood of 1937 and explains that he was the only pharmacy open between the Ohio River and Eighteenth Street. Kaplin was a member of the board of directors of the Louisville College of Pharmacy and was involved with the Alpha Zeta Omega pharmaceutical fraternity.

Interview LC Subject

Kaplin, Nathan H. Kaplin, Nathan H.--Interviews University of Kentucky University of Kentucky--History

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