Bounnell - James Heath - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

James Heath Bounnell, called Heath, was born April 17, 1901, the first of two sons of Dr. Harry Matthew and Elizabeth Shera Bounnell, in Waynetown. He graduated from Waynetown High School in 1919, attended Indiana University, Wabash College, and graduated from the old Indianapolis School of Pharmacy (now Butler University) in 1925. He was married to Bernice Starnes of Hillsboro, July 27, 1924 in Indianapolis.

During the summers while a teenager, he worked for the White Drug Store in Waynetown. After graduating from Pharmacy School, and while working at a drug store in Indianapolis, he purchased the White Drug Store, called the Corner Drug Store, for $10,000; the purchase took place on Friday, May 7, 1926 and Heath took immediate possession of the business. The store was, for the time, a full line drug store, with prescription services, liquor department (after prohibition ended), tobacco, patent medicines and other necessities, and included a soda fountain that was the congregating place for most of the locals, both old and young. The soda fountain featured a standing counter w/foot rail, old fashioned round oak "Coke" tables and wirebacked chairs. For many years the Drug Store each autumn sold all of the school books and associated supplies needed for the Waynetown school. Usually several times during the week Heath would be called out of bed to open the drug store and fill a prescription written by one of the local physicians.

In 1952 Heath suffered a heart attack and was forced to reduce his work load. Fortunately a son, James Richard, has just graduated from Butler Pharmacy School and he took over the lion's share of the work at the store. (The drug store closed in 1976; the site had been a drug store for over 100 years) Heath died in Danville, Illinois on January 15, 1958 at just age 56. He was a member of the Waynetown Merchants Association, Methodist Church, Eastern Star and Masonic Lodge in Waynetown, Elks Club and Country Club in Crawfordsville. He was buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Waynetown.