Dr. Sylvester J. Lee, RPH

Sylvester Jerome Lee is native of Conyers, GA, where he was raised by his loving parents Genoulia and Willie Melvin Lee. During the first year of desegregation, he played an instrumental role in the integration of Rockdale County Public Schools in 1965. The “freedom of choice” plan allowed Rockdale’s black students to attend the white-only school system where he transitioned from the all-black J.P. Carr School to Main Street Elementary School. This was a process that was necessary to create equal education opportunities in the state of Georgia and the United States. As was expected, he had challenges, but he never saw himself as being different from his classmates. He was a serious student focused on achieving his goals. He excelled academically and was the president of his class. After graduating from Rockdale County High School, Sylvester attended Duke University and later transferred to The University of Georgia where he graduated from the School of Pharmacy in 1978.

While attending pharmacy school, a professor said in one of his classes that independent pharmacies were being overtaken by larger pharmacy chains. At the time, the professor strongly recommended that students should pursue careers with larger chains because he believed that independent pharmacies would simply not survive. After graduating, Lee was hired at a major chain pharmacy, Treasury Drugs, but he did not lose his ingrained desire to be an independent pharmacist and business owner. His entrepreneurial spirit came from both his father, Willie Melvin Lee, who owned Triple L’s Barbershop in Conyers, GA and his mother, Genoulia Lee, who owned Genoulia’s Beauty Salon.

For 7 years he worked at Treasury Drugs managing the entire store and the pharmacy. This experience prepared him to step out on faith and start Forward West Professional Pharmacy located at 2600 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SW, Atlanta, GA in 1985. Contrary to what the professor said in pharmacy school, with hard work and determination he has been able to become an independent pharmacy owner. For over 38 years, Dr. Lee served the community of Atlanta at the Forward West location with the upmost level of professionalism and a sincere compassion for his patients. Throughout his career, he watched as major pharmacy chains moved out of minority communities, merged with other chains, and some completely dissolved altogether. His faith in God proved that if you are willing to put in the hard work and keep God first in all that you do, you can survive the tests of time.

 

Sylvester is married to Jacques Lee, the retired Senior Vice President of Citizen’s Trust Bank. They have four children, Sylvester Jerome Lee II, Sheneal Jacques Tripp, Santoine Jeraldo Lee, and Stedman Jermaine Lee, three children-in-love, Grady Devan Tripp, Tamika Lee, and Itia Lee, six grandchildren, Sylvester III, Savannah, Sarah, Grady II, Shealee, and Santoine II.

 

He is a member of The Word of Truth Christian Center where Apostle Leon Hollinshed,Th.D is the pastor. Dr. Lee did not just listen to the sermons and the Word but strived to be an example for others. Matthew 6:33 “…Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Things have not always been easy, but he knows that the Lord will make a way out of no way. God has brought him through time and time again. Romans 8:31 “…If God is for us, who can be against us?” God said he would never leave you or forsake you. We must learn to have faith in God.