When Sonny Gibbs talks about Winfred Brown, he speaks with a reverence usually reserved for nationally celebrated personalities.

“It’s hard to describe Mr. Brown in words,” Gibbs said. “He was dynamic, a brilliant man. It’s hard to describe him.”

Gibbs now owns and operates Brown Drug Store, the pharmacy that Brown launched in 1952. Gibbs began taking an ownership role in the local drug store in 1972 and maintained a close friendship with Brown until his death Tuesday.

Brown was a U.S. Navy veteran and served in World War II, an experience that directed much of his life afterward according to Gibbs.

“He had an extremely good work ethic,” Gibbs said. “He was a hard worker. He didn’t dodge anything.”

After his tenure in the military, Brown launched Brown Drug Store and made it a place that the community relished coming to. Along with filling prescriptions and offering gifts and refreshments, Brown offered horseback rides to people who came by.

According to Gibbs, Brown Drug Store was one of the first businesses to be launched beyond Selma’s downtown epicenter.

“He kind of went out on a limb, to put it mildly,” Gibbs said with a chuckle.

According to Elkdale Baptist Church Pastor Cory Horton, Brown Drug Store was the first to offer “free trade to the black community.”

“I know he always had a legacy of treating people fairly, no matter their skin color,” Horton said. “That was a pretty big deal at that time.”

In the same year that he launched his pharmacy, Brown and his wife, Maude, became charter members of Elkdale Baptist Church.

According to Horton, Brown helped put up the walls.

Brown was extremely active in his church and took on a number of tasks to serve both the congregation and the community. He regularly visited nursing homes and hospitals and served as a bus driver for the church, as well as the Chairman of Deacons, Finance Chairman, Sunday School Superintendent and Brotherhood President.

Outside of the church, he worked with community causes such as the Polio Drive and Habitat for Humanity.

Perhaps one of his most beloved practices, especially in Gibbs’ eyes, were the regular speaking engagements he took part in.

“He was so eloquent in his speeches,” Gibbs said. “He was hilarious.”

Gibbs said that Brown continued speaking at churches and other events until recently and would speak enthusiastically on any topic, even those that he might not know anything about.

“He was fantastic,” Gibbs said. “He could keep an audience spellbound.”

Both Gibbs and Horton described as a man with a robust sense of humor, only outdone by his kindness of heart.

“He was a generous man,” Horton said. “He was the kind of guy who was always a blessing, who would always help people in need.”

“I learned a lot from him,” Gibbs said. “He was a very good teacher. Mr. Brown’s not easy to forget.”

Funeral services for Brown will be held Saturday, Dec. 15 at 11 a.m. at Elkdale Baptist Church. Both Horton and Gibbs believe it will be an occasion worthy of the man being remembered.