Sidney Barthwell relocated to Detroit with his family from Georgia when he was 16 years old, in 1922. He graduated from Cass Technical High School (go Technicians), later earning his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy in 1929 at Wayne University (now Wayne State University). Wayne State would subsequently name a scholarship fund after him. Due to prevalent discrimination, he initially found employment only at an unlicensed pharmacy, which eventually closed due to the Depression. Barthwell seized the opportunity and took over the defunct business, opening his own pharmacy under his name. His pharmacy enterprise expanded from a single store to a chain of 13 outlets around the city, with the last one closing in 1987. Under his mentorship, thirty pharmacists received their start.