A Laurel man jokes that he’s the only person he knows to turn 20 and 40 in pharmacy school.
Clay Taylor is a pharmacist at Jones County Professional Drugs, a career he chose for himself many years ago. However, his road to success had a few more roadblocks and detours than most in the profession.
“I always wanted to be a pharmacist growing up,” Taylor said. “I loved going in Ed Diket’s store in Laurel and seeing how he interacted with his cus- tomers, and I wanted to be like that.”
Taylor attended Jones County Junior College and was accepted into pharmacy school. But a lack of studying took a toll on his grades, and he flunked out.
Following in his dad’s footsteps, Taylor earned a poultry science degree from Mississippi State University and went to work in the chicken business.
“I always thought about pharmacy and wished things had been different,” Taylor said.
Finally, 13 years and four children later, his wife Sheri was finished hearing him talk about it.
“She told me, ‘Either you can stop talking about it or you can go back to school and make it happen,’” Taylor said.
In 2003, he became a full-time father, worker and student. Taylor had to re-take one year of prerequisites. He was accepted to pharmacy school at Ole Miss the first time he applied, so they took their kids, ages 4 to 15, to Oxford.
“I thought I’d be the old guy in the class and stand out,” Taylor said.
But the experience couldn’t have been more different from what he expected. There were about 10 non-traditional students in the class of 94, and he said his experience couldn’t have been better.
“It was quite a commitment,” Sheri Taylor said. “Anyone thinking about going back to school should definitely jump and not be pushed.”
Mrs. Taylor is a private art teacher and basically gave that up for the two years they were in Oxford since they weren’t there long enough for her to build clientele. Neither of their parents were near Oxford to help with the kids. Sheri Taylor said she often felt like a single mother due to the amount of time her husband spent in class and doing homework.
“I would wake up in the middle of the night and find him in the living room asleep with his books across his chest,” Taylor said.
The pharmacy school at Ole Miss is set up so that the third year is spent at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. When he reached that point, Taylor’s family moved back to Laurel, and they lived apart for most of that year.
After Taylor graduated in 2009, he worked at Forrest General Hospital then four years at Rogers Family Pharmacy in Petal. He began at Jones County Professional Drugs when it opened in Ellisville in September 2013 and said he couldn’t be happier.
“I couldn’t imagine my job being more enjoyable,” Taylor said. “I really enjoy what I do.”
Sheri Taylor said she is proud of her husband for not giving up.
“Prior to doing this, I wanted our children to see that you can attempt big things,” Clay Taylor said. “It doesn’t have to be the norm. If you have a dream and a desire, go for it.”
Now, the Taylors’ oldest son, Lee, has completed a degree in biochemistry and is considering pharmacy school.
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