Recipes for Living Roger and Sheila Rumley Kentner

Roger is a native of Osceola, born in Clarke County Hospital, delivered by Dr. Stroy. He is the oldest of three children born to Clair and Wilma Sampson Kentner. Reva was born two years later and Bruce one year later than she. The parents still live where the children grew up, one block off the square in Osceola. Bruce married Jamie Hamilton and is employed at Siemans; Reva married Mike Paulsen and has lived in Anchorage, Alaska, since 1976. Reva works at Alaska Pipe Lines; Mike is in the Alaska Air Guard working with computers in helicopters.

Roger speaks with nostalgia about his early years. He tells: It was a neat time to grow up. There were lots of neighborhood kids-Jeters, Browns, Bueschs, Goodrichs, Kilkennys, and Reynolds. We were outside all the time, roller skating, biking, and playing tag. The Underwoods lived next door but Van and Sue were older than me. Van raised rabbits for awhile and I remember going over to pull grass to feed them.

Dad worked for Louis Fisher at Fisher Firestone. The appliances they sold came in huge boxes that Dad brought home. We would play for hours at a time with those boxes. We made houses, cutting holes for doors, furnishing rooms with furniture we drew with our crayolas, coloring curtains and pictures on the walls. And our sand piles! We could spend hours playing in those, too. In fact, when Shadley talked about having hired me, he said, "I took Roger from the sand pile and put him to work in the drug store."

Besides our parents, we had the extended family. Mom was only 11 years-old when her mother died. Unlike some widowers in those days, Mom's father, Emil Sampson, wanted to keep his family of five daughters together so Mom became a mother to them all. They grew up and continue to live in this area. We have always gotten together with them for every kind of occasion, so our cousins were our close friends, too. Some of them lived on farms and so us town kids had the experience of riding on a tractor, haying, or planting and picking corn.

Mary Alice and her family lived south of Murray and, when we went there, we'd go out in the timber or play in the creek. We had a tent and bedrolls and would take sandwiches, our bee bee guns and comic books to be all set up for overnight. Dad's brother, Harold, lived in town and he had a boy and girl. We would go to Missouri to buy fireworks for our 4th of July celebrations. The bottom line is that the best I could wish for any kid would be that they could grow up like we did. I don't remember ever having felt threatened or in danger.

One of the biggest differences between then and now, probably, is that all that fun was possible because we had no money. Dad worked from 7:30 a.m. until 6:00p.m., six days a week, and I doubt that he ever brought home $100 a week. After we kids were in school, Mom worked at the school lunchroom, then for George Buesch, and later at Underwood Auto Supply. In fact, she still works there--it is now Andrew Auto Supply-and her sisters tell her she will never quit.

I started to kindergarten at East Elementary, in Mrs. Tidgren's class. That was really traumatic. I had never even been to a baby sitter and it terrified me to be left among all those strangers. Thank goodness for Kevin Kilkenny who was at the bus stop and made it OK for me to go to school. Mom took me the first day and walked out, leaving me screaming and crying. I spent the first couple days under the teacher's desk. When it became obvious that that wasn't going to change anything, I adjusted. I went through East Elementary and to West Ward through junior high and high school.

When I was 12 years-old, Grandpa Emil Sampson passed away; and two weeks later Grandpa Roy Kentner died. That was my first experience with death and losing two grandparents within a month was a shock that showed me the serious side of life. Grandma Jennie Kentner lived to be 99 and she passed away just three years ago.

When I was a sophomore in high school, Shad offered me a job at the drug store. I was only 15, and shouldn't have been working; but no one questioned it. This was an eye-opener. People that I knew didn't go to a pharmacy. If they were sick, they went to a doctor and got a shot; but as I watched Shad and saw how helpful he was, I was impressed. I began to consider that as the occupation to pursue.

In high school I took chemistry, physics and what math was required if I were to work toward a degree in pharmacy. Butch Mason was my chemistry teacher. In spite of the fact that I got a "D" the first semester, I decided to keep on. I never did have outstanding grades in his class but discovered that straight A' students were getting "B"s and "C"s. When they complained, Mr. Mason said that nobody in his class ever got an "A' because that would mean they knew it all. Nobody knew it all.

I didn't participate in any extra-curricular activities. I wasn't tall enough for basketball or big enough for football. I could have enjoyed track but that would have interfered with my work schedule and I needed the dollars.

I graduated from high school in 1972. I had saved enough from working after school and on Saturdays to buy my first car. It was a '72 Volkswagen Beatle that I found at Crescent Chevrolet in Des Moines. It had only 600 miles on it and cost $1,500. It is still in running order and we drive it from time to time..

I considered going to Drake, the University of Iowa, or Brookings, South Dakota, which also had a pharmacy college. I realized that I wasn't ready to move away from home and for a year went to SWCC (Southwestern Community College) at Creston. It was necessary to transfer after that first year if I wanted to go on in pharmacy. Drake was too expensive and I didn't have the straight A's that would have been necessary for me to get a scholarship. I discovered that I could go to Iowa for $2200-$2300 a year. With what I had saved, could borrow and earn, I was sure I could make it. I went for four years, and those plus the first year at SWCC, gave me the five-year schooling required for a pharmacy degree. I drove home and worked most weekends, holidays, breaks, and summers, paying my way through.

At the same time that I graduated in 1977, my cousin Kathy, Harold and Doris Kentner's oldest child, graduated from high school. She came for my festivities and they went on for a vacation in Colorado. Kathy got encephalitis and died. That was a real shocker and made me more committed than ever to the health profession. In this position I can help people with illnesses. I felt I had made the right choice.

Sheila and I began going together during my senior year in high school, the fall of '71. We were married during my last year of college and lived in an apartment in Iowa City.

SHEILA

Sheila tells about her life: I was born in Leon to Eugene and Mary Anne Rumley. I have an older sister, Marla, who lives in Des Moines and works for the international offices of P.E.O., and an older half-brother, Tony, whom I always think of as my brother. He lives in Pella and runs the Central College catering department.

My mother's parents, John and Elsie Bethards, were employed in the Knoxville and Tama Toledo County Homes. Those facilities predated Social Security and nursing homes. It sounds now like a good plan. People lived communally and had work to do. The men farmed the land and raised the crops; the women worked inside cleaning, cooking, and all that they had been accustomed to doing in their own homes. However, at that time it was a terrible disgrace to have to live there. It represented utter failure and was the most dreaded eventuality that could be thought of. Grandma took care of the ladies inside the home and Grandpa worked with the men outside. John and Elsie moved to Osceola in 1971 or '72. Elsie, particularly, became active in the Osceola United Methodist Church.

Dad's parents, Roy and Helen Rumley, lived on a farm near Leon. We went there every weekend. Dad helped with the farm work and we played. We really looked forward to our travel to the farm. We would stay all weekend and come back on Sunday nights. Grandpa Roy passed away in 1972; Grandma Helen moved to Osceola and died in 1991.

I continued my schooling in Osceola. For just one semester of my 4th grade, I went to East Ward. It was a large class that was divided and I transferred to West Ward for the balance of my elementary years. For junior high and high school I went to the north school on highway 69. The time when it was a school is only a memory now, as is the "Little Pink Store", where I worked. It was across from the school, the building on the corner of North Main and East Clay. It was owned by Ralph and Marie Kimmel and a great attraction for the school kids because we sold ice cream and groceries.

I would have sung in chorus, but my voice wasn't considered acceptable. I played the clarinet in band from 4th grade all the way through high school. I was a pom-pom girl, the ones that marched ahead of the flag girls, in the marching band. We wore short skirts and white marching boots.

After graduation I had no ambition to go to college but got a job at Hawkeye Lumber, which was located where the north Casey's store is now. I worked as a bookkeeper for two years for Marvin Blanchard. Hawkeye Lumber was a chain and, after we were married in 1976, Marvin arranged for me to transfer to work in their store in Iowa City. That job taught me a lot. In addition to the obvious benefit of learning to keep books, which I have continued to do in our business, I can drive a nail straight; but I haven't taught Roger to do that. I like messing with tools and fixing things, which has come in handy in our home. While we were in Iowa City, we lived on my salary and used Roger's to pay for his college.

Roger graduated from college, we moved back to Osceola and rented Austin Smith's little one-bedroom house on North Main. We both worked at the drug store for Shad and would like to have bought it. Shad would have been willing to sell but wanted the money, which we didn't have, our folks didn't have, and we were unable to get a small business loan. Shad gave up and decided he wasn't ready to retire.

Roger's Aunt Marjorie Liggitt's husband, Emmett, had a brother, Ted, who was a retired pharmacist in Texas. They proposed that we go with them to visit him and help them drive. It was a wonderful trip! We had never been south. When we left Iowa, there was snow on the ground. It was 78° there. Ted introduced Roger to the Pharmacy Director at Brownsville Medical Center. Such coincidences as this are almost unbelievable, but, Roger said, "As I walked in, there was a fellow graduate from the University, Jerry Kapacinskas. He had gone to Texas right after school was out because he and his wife decided they didn't want to live where it was cold. He encouraged me to consider a position there and, when we discussed it, we realized there was nothing holding us here."

We came back to Iowa, made the announcement of our plans, and prepared to go. Everybody was crying as we loaded a U-Haul and took off. We found a nice apartment and Roger started working in the hospital pharmacy.

Part of the trauma of leaving was that we had just found out before we moved that I was pregnant. Nichole was born just after Christmas our first year there, December 29, 1978. Things began moving fast. Roger was made assistant director of the pharmacy and we bought a house. Nathan was born on December 13, 1980. However, we began to learn what it meant to be working for a large corporation. They expected that when they said “jump", we would jump. They want to move people around, which didn't appeal to us. By then we had two children and they needed stability. Eventually there was more and more stress.

We began to weigh the pros and cons of staying. We enjoyed the work and the people, but it was a different country than we had grown up in. We weren't accustomed to being in the minority, which we were there. There were lots more Mexicans than Americans. We began to think about schools. We thought of what the children were missing, being separated from grandparents. We felt pretty confident that we would make it, whatever our decision. We were young and we had come this far making it on our own.

On Easter Sunday, 1981, Roger and Shad talked. Things hadn't worked well for Shad. He knew and trusted Roger and was willing to give him an opportunity. Shad said, "I'm ready to get out. We could go halves in partnership. You can pay it off as you go." It didn't take long to make up our minds. We went back to Texas, Roger resigned and we put the house up for sale. We came back to Iowa in June and went into business as Osceola Drug Store on July I, 1981.

Tragically, for Shad and Pauline, Pauline was ill and died just two years later. They had worked and worked, and at that time had plans to travel and enjoy life. They only had two years to do that. Makes you think.

The joy of having a dream come true was mixed with hard work and some knotty problems. Shad and Pauline had bought everything in volume, and never had a sale. Some of the merchandise we bought was very old. Also, state law requires that if a store is open, unless you could seal off the_ pharmacy, a pharmacist has to be on duty. That meant that Roger worked six days a week with no sick days and no vacation for the first five or six years. We were fortunate to employ Darel McKimpson from Woodburn. Roger and he ran the store for the first couple of years.

But, in spite of the sacrifices, we were happy to be back in the community where both of us had grown up. We were back with family and friends who became our customers. They welcomed us back and every year the business grew. There was the good feeling that we were doing something for people we cared about. As we have needed to hire more employees, Roger says that he doesn't feel comfortable thinking of himself as "the boss." He would rather manage by letting employees do whatever it takes to get the job done. "I tell them that it doesn't matter what I do in the pharmacy department, if people aren't treated with respect at the checkout counter. My way may not work in a big organization but it seems to work well for us. Financially, as the business has gotten better, I've tried to share it with rewards of this or that kind-gifts, bonuses, and things like that."

Evidence that Roger's style of management is effective was stated in a paper written by a former employee, Mike Haub. It was submitted to the Robert D. Blue committee and won him a scholarship. It was printed in the Osceola Sentinel of Thursday, July 25, 1996:

''I believe one of the most influential people in my community is my boss and 'mentor', Roger Kentner. I currently work in the pharmacy and I have witnessed first hand Roger's ability to work with people. He has been a great leader and citizen in my community. Roger has served on many boards in his career, and he is a very active member in society. He was president of the Chamber of Commerce, and he is a committee member of the Osceola Country Club. Roger is an active member of the United Methodist Church and is part of the local business association. He is also a financial supporter of the Osceola Jaycees. Roger is on the county health board and a member of a district health official organization. Roger has also been active in the Optimist Club and has coached Little League Softball in the community. Roger is an extremely active person and seems to find time to put in over sixty hours a week at his own business.

"I really look up to Roger because he has really helped me to focus on the future and decide what my goals and aspirations will be. Roger has to be one of the friendliest people I have ever met and is the best employer that a person could ask for. Roger has inspired me to continue in his field as a pharmacist. I believe that Roger is one of, if not the most, respected individual in our community. So many people depend on his advice and trust him literally with their lives.

"Roger is also willing to spend his personal money on many community projects and to help support those needing money. Currently the Osceola Jaycees are trying to build a bike course. Roger has contributed quite an amount of money to this community project. I have never seen Roger turn down anyone who has come into the store in need of a donation. Roger has bought literally thousands of items from people around the community. He has also donated a large amount of money to those competing in pageants, attending basketball camps, church camps, and many local activities.

"Unfortunately, Roger does not know how to say no to some people, and occasionally people take advantage of that. Roger has a heart of gold and most people in the community know this. I cannot imagine a person who is more interested in the future of our community and the future of those of us reared in this community.

''Roger has been one of the biggest inspirations in my life and I owe much thanks to him. He has influenced me to be caring and patient with customers. He has taught me about good business practices and just how to be an all around good person. It is easy for me to take for granted all that he has given to me. I do not believe I will ever be truly able to repay him. It is very hard to put into words all that Roger means to me, he has been like a father to me, as much as my real father has been. I have never met anyone else quite like Roger and I believe the city of Osceola is a much better place because of his presence here."

Roger and Sheila continue their story: When we were able to pay off our debt in eight years, Shad wanted to sell the building so we decided that would be a good investment. We would pay ourselves the rent. The north half of the store was rentable for another business and we tried to be landlords, which didn't work. At the same time we were outgrowing both the merchandise section and the pharmacy. We decided to knock out the wall and expand. We tripled the size of the pharmacy section and doubled the size of the store. "I worried and worried about whether we would have enough merchandise or business to take care of this," Roger said. However, we enlarged the gift department, putting in Fenton glassware and Precious Moments and enlarged the nicer gifts section. We've been told that we have the best gift shop in south central Iowa, and we believe we do.

At that time we lived on South Main in the home that had been Gracie Sparks Crawford's parents' house. We bought it and were there until the spring of 1988. It was on highway 69 and there was lots of fast traffic. It became dangerous for our children, who were growing and we needed more room. With those factors to consider, when we saw that a house was being auctioned off by an FDIC mortgage, we put in a bid and got it. We had always wanted to live outside of town, maybe on an acreage and this suffices. It is a nice, restful place to go home to after a long day at work.

Both our children are now grown. Nichole began summer softball in the 2nd grade and continued through 6th grade and junior high. She excelled in pitching. When she was a freshman, she decided to go into golf and did very well. She was the first student from Clarke to go to the state tournament. There were local try-outs, then district, regional and on to the State, where she came in 6th. She is continuing this pursuit at Methodist College in Fayetteville, North Carolina, majoring in business administration, with a concentration in professional golf management, and marketing. It is a business program which specializes in the different aspects of golf. This will enable her to: teach, play on tour, be a club professional at a golf course, and receive her P.G.A (Professional Golf Association of America) membership. It is a four-year course and she is starting her 3rd year. She is very self-sufficient and confident.

Nathan played summer ball through the 6th grade. When he was in junior high, he started running track. He has worked at Pizza Hut for two years and works at the drug store on Saturdays, as Nichole did also. Nathan graduated this past summer and plans to go to AIB (American Institute of Business) to major in business administration and sales and marketing. He has taken some summer courses and likes school.