Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2020/Fall/105/Section003/Marvin Dizor

Overview

Marvin Dizor was a white, male pharmacist born in Wake County, North Carolina in 1893. Although he never raised children of his own, his wife provided the familial support that helped them through various hurdles in their lives, including economic hardship and job dissatisfaction. He was interviewed for the Federal Writers’ Project in 1939, a short few years before his eventual death in 1946.

Life

Early Life and Education

Dizor was born in Wake County, North Carolina in 1893 and was raised by his father, who worked as a policeman, and his mother, who did not have a formal job but was very active. He took a position as a general helper in a local pharmacy after graduating high-school as it was the first available work he could find. Shortly thereafter, he attended Pharmacy school for nine months before taking his license exam. After taking his exam, Dizor and his friends got belligerently drunk and harassed the exam graders that night, resulting in an automatic failure and preventing Dizor from obtaining his Pharmacist license until he later retook it and passed.

Adulthood and Career

After serving a short stint in the Medical Corps in World War I, Dizor returned home and purchased a pharmacy that he would own and run himself. Becoming the business owner forced Dizor to become responsible for the various taxes imposed, which were excessive and disheartening for the new business owner. Increasingly strict narcotic laws also forced him to work with extreme attention to detail or risk losing his license and facing imprisonment if found to be in violation. Another contributor to his growing disinterest in his job was his inability to express his political views openly, as he prioritized his customers and subsequently felt that sharing his views could lead to conflict. Despite this, he openly served customers of all races, going against the commonplace practice of segregation at the time while noting that “A nickel is a nickel, it doesn’t matter who it comes from.” Following this mantra, he allowed non-white customers to purchase items, yet continued to enforce segregation for facilities within his store.

After meeting and marrying his Wife Sarah, the two opted against bearing children due to Sarah’s love for her occupation, much to the displeasure of Dizor’s new mother-in-law. Yet in spite of his poor relationship with his mother-in-law and his own financial turmoil, Dizor still financially supported her and her other children. This additional financial burden forced Dizor to try his hand at several other ultimately unsuccessful business endeavors, ranging from real estate failures to botched attempts at entering the battery industry. When Dizor’s wife became infected with Tuberculosis and took an extended stay at the local sanatorium, he further lost hopes of financial prosperity, compounded again by the slowing of business in the midst of the Great Depression.

Social and Historical Context

The Great Depression and Taxation

Fiscal Policy in the 1930s was one of many contributing factors to the onset of the Great Depression. While increased Federal spending sought to offset the potential dangers of tax hikes, the raising of existing taxes for a myriad of categories coupled with the introduction of additional taxes placed heavy burdens on American employees and business owners of the time. Perhaps the most notable and impactful increase was the hike on individual income tax.

Harrison Narcotics Act

The Harrison Narcotics Act was passed in 1914 to reign in the unregulated sale of opium and coca products and derivatives. The Act was one of countless in American history that sought to outlaw and regulate psychoactive substances predicated on racial motives, with minorities being villainized despite widespread American usage of the substances in question at the time. The Act also imposed harsh penalties on Pharmacists and other licensed distributors of the newly regulated drugs, threatening the violators with jail sentences and fines. To avoid this, distributors were required to keep exact logs of all purchases and pay a newly imposed tax.

Pharmacist Burnout

Burnout is seen as the culmination of various stressors that result in complete and utter exhaustion coupled with decreased motivation. While burnout is a common denominator of several highly demanding careers, Pharmacists have a reputation within their occupation for experiencing elevated rates of burnout, with regards to the widespread prevalence and severity. Community pharmacists may be responsible for their patients around the clock, given that they are often some of the only medical assistance available in their areas. For pharmacists experiencing this, it can be difficult to take the necessary steps to alleviate their personal concerns while avoiding potential harm to their patients, who often rely on their services.