In 1952, Jack Eckerd took three failing Florida drug stores and introduced the concept of self-service. Over the next three decades, these three stores launched what became on of the nation’s largest drug store chains with sales of $5 billion annually. In the early 1960s, Jack read an article about the Dallas Salesmanship Club’s outdoor program for troubled youth in Texas. He was captivated by its effective, holistic approach, which is a complete change in thinking from the boot camps for kid’s mentality.
In 1968, Jack and his bride Ruth opened their first outdoor therapeutic boarding school for troubled teenagers, Eckerd Academy (formerly known as E-Kow-Wee) in Brooksville, Florida. Its unorthodox therapies and programs soon stifled critics when it was shown that their unconditional regard, support and nurturing was extremely effective. They believed that society would generate the biggest return on investment by helping troubled youths turn their lives around. He called it a “lifetime of returns” for the children and families who would be helped.
