"Karl Reynolds liked to move fast, whether by car or by plane" from the December 5, 1978 Door County Advocate
By JOHN ENIGL
During the winter of 1947-48 Karl Reynolds posed with his family in front of the Beechcraft Bonanza in which he was killed on Dec. 4, 1948. Left to right, Tom, 3, Robert, 7, and Karl Jeffrey, 1, held by his mother, Harriet Fuhry Reynolds, and Karl. Tom is now corporation counsel for the Bank of Sturgeon Bay, Robert is with Employer Mutual of Wausau at Jackson, Mich., Jeffrey is an attorney in Pensacola, Fla., and Mrs. Reynolds is now Mrs. Joe Peot. Barbara, a daughter of Karl's by his first marriage and 21 at the time of the airplane tragedy, lives in Kalamazoo, Mich. Karl's first wife of 16 years died in 1939.
Karl Reynolds liked to move fast, whether by car or by plane
By JOHN ENIGL
PART II
About a mile east of the Scandia Supper Club Karl Reynolds built an airport. The Wests from Appleton gave flying instructions and Karl was an eager student.
Karl always loved to move fast. He'd ride a horse like the wind on the vast Reynolds lands in Sevastopol, the same area where the Pepperdine Stablery is today. Bud Parmentier tells that, "When Karl would drive by the Martin Orchard office in his car, he'd blow the papers off this counter! Of course, the office was a lot closer to the road than it is now."
In those days, in the 30's and 40's, we got a close look of at least the underside of Karl Reynolds' airplanes as he flew over our orchard. He'd fly over to see how the picking was coming along, who was done and who was not. He wasn't afraid to fly low enough to get a close look.
His brother Fritz could have taken flying lessons, too, but, "I would have had to drive to Appleton every day, and that took too much time, and would have cost some money, too."
Karl, as sales manager, found the plane useful in business. Most of his travel was by air — he was a pioneer in the business use of airplanes.
The Beecheraft Bonanza Karl purchased in 1947 was really a fine airplane. I showed a picture of Karl and his family with the Bonanza to two pilot friends of mine, Bob Harkness, vice president of Briggs and Stratton, and Roger Davenport, who aided in building a replica of the Spirit of St. Louis for the 50th anniversary of Lindberg's flight. Bob recognized the model immediately, as did Roger. They told me that the 1978 Bonanza differs very little from that of Karl Reynolds. The tricycle landing gear, with the wheel in the front, was an advanced design for its day. Other companies who sold light planes were still making them with a tail wheel in 1947. Takeoffs and landings are made easier by the tricycle design.
Bob and Roger also pointed out that the Bonanza has a "V" shaped tail section, eliminating the old conventional rudder. Functions of both-rudder and elevator are combined in the "V" shaped unit.
"The 'V' design eliminated weight, thus making the 'Bonanza' faster," Roger said.
Despite the advantages of the Bonanza, both agreed, it was, and still is, an airplane that requires care in flying. It tends to "Dutch Roll" (sort of wig-wag) if flown too slowly or if turned too sharply.
Ray Frando, who worked for Reynolds Brothers until 1952, lives in New Berlin, Wis., now.
"Karl Reynolds was one swell man. One day he said, 'Come on Ray, get in the car. We're going to go out to the airport and I'm going to show you something.'
"We drove out to the airport, the Reynolds airport. There was the new Beecheraft Bonanza. He took me up and we flew over the orchard and factory. That was my first ride in an airplane!"
That was typical of Karl Reynolds. He treated his workers like human beings and they were loyal to him.
Some of the people who remember Karl Reynolds are not very old even today. Herb Solway, now a Krier Preserving Co. employee remembers, "Karl Reynolds bought me my first bike." Karl would do things like that for his employees. Eli Solway, Herb's dad, oversaw the field work and the picking crew, a job that Herb took over upon his dad's death.
Karl would treat the employees' children to a Christmas party. And then there were the Reynolds' employee reunions, held about every 10 years.
The 50th anniversary reunion of Reynolds Preserving Co. employees was held at the Carmen Hotel, located where Red Owl and Gamble Store are today. The date was December 19, 1945. As always, a picture was taken. All the Reynolds brothers were there — Karl, Don, Herb and Fritz. Herb took the picture, so he is not in it.
Many of Door County's well-known and not so well-known men were Reynolds employees or former employees. At the party that evening was William E. Wagener, the attorney, public servant and member of the Door-Kewaunee County Normal School Board. Bill Wagener first worked for the company in 1900, was later counsel for the concern. Conrad Stram, president of the Door County Chamber of Commerce, a relative of my mother, also came: he had worked for Reynolds in 1898.
Bert Scofield, hardwareman, (and dedicated deer hunter until his death in his 90s,) attended. His hunting partner, "One Shot" Bert Carmody, long time register of deeds, was there and they probably exchanged hunting stories, such as that recently told me by Bert Carmody's wife: "On the first day of deer hunting, my husband would sit on a stump, light his pipe, and wait for a deer to come along. Pretty soon, the other boys would hear a shot, and sure enough, Bert would have one.
'How come you're so lucky?' Scofield would ask.
"Bert would reply, 'Because I say my prayers every morning!'
"Scofield would say, 'Well, I say mine, too, and it doesn't do me any good!' "
Clyde Charnley, who was to replace Ery Kussow less than three years later as Reynolds secretary and office manager, was there. Elmer Toppe, who taught school at Sunny Point most of the year, came. Of course, Charles "Bow" Augustine was in attendance. He had started at Reynolds in 1897 at the Sturgeon Bay plant and remained When it became Fruit Growers Cooperative.
The party wouldn't have been complete without Eli Solway, the field superintendent. The date of employment is given as 1921, but I believe a picture John Carmody has of Eli working at lumbering for Reynolds predates that time. Eli has been gone a good many years now, but those of us who knew him still remember his friendly nature, his easy-going way of getting the job done right. He was a most valued member of the Reynolds team, as was Clarence Simon, who lived just a few blocks from the factory. Stanley Gureski left Reynolds later and spent his last years farming and in the shipyards.
Although the 1945 reunion was a gathering of long time employees, at least six that I know who were at the event are still alive and still active today. Ernie Richards is retired, still lives in rural Egg Harbor, with frequent trips to Waukesha and Sussex. Anton Kuehn farms in Sevastopol. I talked to Clyde Charnley not long ago for background for this story. Royal Griffin still had an orchard of his own a few years ago. Of course, Fritz Reynolds is very much active, probably the oldest Reynolds employee except for Capt. Ed Reynolds.
One dedicated Reynolds employee at the reunion I knew well was Emil Frando, now in the Hillcrest Nursing Home in Kenosha.
As I mentioned before, I was a Reynolds employee for two summers. In 1954 I was a common laborer, and in 1957 I was part of the management team. In the latter year, as timekeeper, I hired all factory employees, kept records of their time, figured out their paychecks. In addition I kept records of the trucking done by the Salinas crew from San Antonio, Tex.
The author when he was timekeeper for Reynolds Bros.
Emil Frando was one of the most conscientious employees I knew. He would sometimes work around the clock when the cherry canning season was in full swing. One day we argued about his time because Emil said, "I worked more than 24 hours yesterday!" I explained that I had put the additional time on the next day's card.
Emil lived right on the grounds in a company owned house as did several other employees. There were also cabins for the pickers. Some of the pickers were Spanish-speaking Texans of Mexican background. Karl had arranged for pickers from the British West Indies during the labor shortage during World War II. Many of the pickers during the depression came from Milwaukee and Chicago.
It was because of a meeting regarding foreign labor that Karl Reynolds, his office manager, Erv Kussow, and Lougee Stedman of Fruit Growers flew to Beaver Dam on the Saturday morning of Dec. 4, 1948.
I had seen Karl Reynolds at a Lions Club meeting on Washington Island just a short time before. Of course I had seen him many times before at the factory. My dad knew him well. Being a young man I was in awe of such a successful man and I can't remember that I ever spoke to him.
But my brother Charles did get a close look at Karl at one of the parties for the growers Reynolds held.
"The parties were held in the latter part of June, usually," Charles relates. They usually showed us movies of the trips Karl went on, such as his trips to Hawaii. He was a rather good photographer. The parties were held in one of the big buildings used for storage at the plant.
"Karl usually gave a talk at that time (he would also come out to our orchard from time to time) to tell us about problems they and other growers were having with insects and diseases, and how to correct them. Karl would pass around samples of the insects and talk about prospects for the year.
"They'd always have a meal for us, sometimes a trout boil.
"Karl and Don would circulate among the growers, making it a point to talk to each one. They knew each grower by name, even if they only had a couple of acres. Any growers that were producing cherries were important to them, because even if they had one or two acres, they would add up to the total production of the plant."
One year, to finish off the evening, Karl put on a magic show and brother Charles volunteered to go up to the front to be one of the straight men.
Karl would tell jokes. too. He was an impressive man, nearly six feet tall, with a receding hairline, ready to smile because of the joy he felt about life.
Sometimes the jokes would involve growers and close friends. One joke I remember, after more than 30 years, involved Bob Baum, a grower and tavernkeeper who lived a mile or so from the plant, and Jack Stoneman, a young undertaker who was also a cherry grower. As Karl told it:
"One night, Jack Stoneman called me up and asked me to go along with him up north to pick up a body. On the way back, Jack said. 'Let's have a little fun with Bob Baum.'
"So we pulled the hearse into Bob's parking lot, way over to the side, out of the way of the yard light. Jack put his hat on the recently departed's head, and we carried him into the tavern and put him on a barstool between us. 'The drinks are on Harry!' Jack said. Bob brought the drinks and said to 'Harry.' That'll be 75 cents, sir! Harry didn't answer. Bob again said, 'That'll be 75 cents.' Again no response from Harry.
"After asking for the money a third time he fell to the floor. Jack and I yelled, 'You've killed him! You've killed Harry!'
Bob gasped, 'I had to! He pulled a knife on me!' "
It wasn't just business sense that prompted Karl Reynolds to strive for a good relationship with his growers. The same could be said of him as was said of his father in the Door County Advocate obituary in 1926: "Nearly all Mr. Reynolds' plans and thoughts were for others: he was a dreamer and a planner in a practical way. Morning found him equipped with suggestions for the day's work. Evening found him planning for the next day."
-The cherry processing plant grew. A cold pack plant was added and the Reynolds brand became know far and wide. Chere-Fresh, a cherry drink still sold today but produced by Krier's, was developed. Reynolds canned it for other companies, too. An example is the PleeZing label Fritz and I found in the old factory.
[photo omitted due to possible lack of rights; it is at https://archive.co.door.wi.us/jsp/RcWebImageViewer.jsp?doc_id=1e8fc801-90a4-4104-8e86-19a1ea0947dc/wsbd0000/20170120/00000888&pg_seq=17]
An old label for Reynolds Bros. cherry juice.
The Krier Preserving Co. of Sturgeon Bay still makes Cherefresh cherry juice pioneered by Reynolds Bros.
Karl went everywhere promoting cherries. He got orders from many companies. But the depression belatedly caught up with Reynolds Brothers in 1941. All the brothers had to mortgage their homes to keep the company going. The government had forbidden them to sell their cherry pack.
Then, when the government decided it wanted to buy the entire pack for the armed forces and all packs until further notice, Reynolds Brothers was back in business.
Karl knew the War was not going to last forever and he made plans for the post-war period. He flew to meetings to make new business connections.
Karl knew that labor for picking the cherry crop might become even a greater problem after the war. He talked about developing some sort of mechanical harvester with his close friend, shipyard official Ray Christianson. Karl had heard of the desperate efforts of Michigan orchardists with larger orchards than his. They had experimented with a crude "donkey" engine, which was propped against the trunk of cherry trees to shake the fruit down.
He knew from rumblings in the industry that the foreign labor meeting he was to attend on Dec. 4, 1948, in Beaver Dam might bring the news of new restrictions and new demands for improved migrant housing.
Next: The Reynolds' dream ends tragically.
(To be continued)
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive