CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The community is mourning the loss of a longtime Corpus Christi businessman who passed away.
Karl Arnold, the man who opened Hamlin Pharmacy in 1960, died Sunday, March 7, 2021, according to family members.
In a post shared on social media, his family said, "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Karl Arnold on March 7th. He opened Hamlin Pharmacy in 1960 and was the pharmacist for 56 years until his retirement. He loved his customers and his staff and nothing made him happier than to make them laugh. He was a lifelong Corpus Christian and loved his family greatly. With his passing, it is truly an end of an era."
In 1960, pharmacist Karl Arnold and his wife, Joanne, opened up Hamlin Pharmacy and Fountain at Weber Road and Staples Street.
Karen Nicholson, Karl’s daughter, spoke with KRIS 6 about Hamlin’s history two years ago.
She said her father was such a hard worker that his children only saw him if they went to the fountain for dinner. Nicholson remembers standing on a box behind the register, and that’s how customers would be rung up.
It was just last year Jesse Lerma, an iconic Corpus Christi resident who had worked at Hamlin Fountain & Gifts for more than 60 years, died of complications due to COVID-19, according to the drugstore's Facebook page.
Hamlin is the last soda fountain in Corpus Christi.
