For nearly seven decades, Dr. Roy Couch has provided chiropractic services to the people of Escambia County and the surrounding areas.
On Friday, he will close his doors and begin a retirement years in the making.
Couch graduated chiropractic school in 1949. In fact, he was No. 36 to be licensed in the state to practice his trade. After six months in Gadsden and a year in Roanoke, Ala., Couch made his way to Brewton.
“They closed the cotton mill in Roanoke and it was like you turned a faucet off,” Couch said. “No one had any money, and when my x-ray salesman said I should try to get into Brewton.
“It had a different economy, he said,” Couch said. “I had a brother-in-law in Monroeville, so I packed up and headed down. I opened up here Dec. 7, 1950.”
And in the little brick building in East Brewton is where Couch as faithfully served his patients since that day. Inside the simple building, Couch – at 89 – keeps patient records in a green-lined ledger book. There is no computer to be seen, but the patients don’t mind.
“I’ve enjoyed my work,” he said. “I enjoy helping people. It never seemed like the right time to retire.
“When I first got to Brewton, it seemed like the most God-forsaken place,” he said with a laugh. “I mean, there was a train track running right through the middle of town. But over the years, my thought has changed.
“I’ve raised two children here and I love it,” he said. “I’ve made good friends, friends that have been with me for years. People come to see me from all over – DeFuniak Springs, Fla., Pensacola, Grove Hill and they keep coming back.
“I can’t believe I’m going to retire, but I am,” he said.
Couch said he plans to spend as much time “in the yard” as he can.
“I have two acres,” he said. “I’ve been keeping it half-way up forever. Now maybe I can do it all the way.”
Couch – who will celebrate his 90th birthday on July 28 – will be honored at First Baptist Church East Brewton on Sunday from 2-4 p.m.