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Ken Hendricks taught us to believe
IT SEEMED strangely surreal, each time one heard national news reports about the tragic death of Ken Hendricks.
That's because Ken was one of us, just a hard-working Midwestern boy going about his business, greeting his friends, plugging into the things that mattered to him.
It was almost easy to forget that Ken had such national stature, that he was widely known as a titan of the business world. Sure, we all knew he had great success and oodles of money. But that guy - the rich, powerful mogul - wasn't really the Ken we knew, and loved, here in the Stateline Area.
THE MAN WE knew was an omnipresent fixture in the everyday life of the community. Ken had a keen sense of the people of this area and their aspirations for themselves and their children.
He took a genuine interest in matters large and small, and never seemed too busy to hear people out. He was always approachable, always attentive, always generous with his time.
So much so, probably, that most folks took it somewhat for granted. In recent years - on issue after issue, problem after problem - people in the community usually came around to this point: “Let's see what Ken Hendricks thinks.”
Often that meant a call to Ken's cell phone, which half the town had on speed-dial. It was rare indeed when the man himself didn't quickly pick up.
Ken would listen, give common-sense advice and, frequently, decide to get personally involved in solving whatever problem came his way.
HOW SPECIAL was that relationship between the area - particularly, Beloit - and this vital, energetic man?
Those with great wealth - the fortune amassed by Ken and his beloved wife, Diane, has been estimated at $3.5 billion - usually are insulated by layers of bureaucracy and security. It is common for wealthy people to be closely guarded by large, intimidating, and, sometimes, armed men. Their lavish lifestyles are usually walled off from the common folks, who might only catch fleeting glimpses of darkened windows in passing limos.
But Ken was best known for driving around in an old Jeep, wearing blue jeans and boots, showing up unannounced at this or that event. His notion of fine dining was a fish fry in Afton. He didn't trust elitists, and definitely didn't lie awake at night yearning to be admitted to their exclusive club.
It's a sweet irony, though, that as Ken's shadow continued to lengthen, people who once might have spurned this high-school dropout turned master entrepreneur, yearned to be part of his circle.
I HAVE BEEN covering the life of this gritty community for more than three decades now. I've seen its worst. I've seen its best.
And I know what Ken Hendricks' greatest gift to Beloit was all about.
Optimism.
The rise of ABC Supply Co. and the Hendricks empire coincided with tumultuous times for Beloit. As his business sprouted wings, Beloit took a nosedive. The old manufacturing base began to fade. The local economy coughed and sputtered. The glory days slowly slipped away. Nothing so symbolized the community in decline as the painful death spiral of Beloit Corporation, the city's most dependable employer for more than a century.
Real despair gripped this city. It is not an exaggeration to say plenty of people thought the slide irreversible.
JUST WHEN THINGS seem bleakest, the believers among us like to think, the man upstairs has made a habit throughout human history of sending in a champion. I'm not sure Ken would be comfortable with that image, but I think he arrived at just the right time to lift the people of the Stateline Area.
Where others saw blight, he saw opportunity.
Where others felt powerless, he flexed a mighty can-do spirit.
Where there were barriers, he knocked them down.
Where there was fear, he was fearless.
Where there was despair, he was hopeful.
Look around this community on the rebound, and you will see Ken Hendricks' influence everywhere. In the bricks and mortar, sure, but even more in the infectious optimism that has the Greater Beloit community dreaming dreams again, believing in itself, daring to stretch for what is just beyond its reach.
SOME MONTHS BACK, Publisher Kent Eymann and I dropped in on Ken at his office for a talk. We wanted to see what he had to say about the community and his plans, but we also hoped to talk about the newspaper business - which is in the midst of trying times nationally - to see what Ken might say about reinvigorating the industry.
True to form, he had ideas and opinions that challenged us and gave us plenty to think about.
Ken said if he ran a newspaper it would be about the positive things in the community, what was going right, not what was going wrong. He said people can find out about wars and scandals and murders and rapes and all that stuff somewhere else. He asked why we didn't leave that stuff out, or stick it way back in the paper, and just focus on the good news.
That conversation comes back to me on this day, when a great man goes to his final rest. It was the essence of Beloit's wonderful friend, Ken Hendricks. Looking for the good. Believing in the positive. Building confidence. Absolutely sure that tomorrow can be better than today.
I ONCE WROTE, in recognition of one of Ken's numerous achievements, that he was a man “who sees things that aren't there.” His unsurpassed entrepreneurial skills gave him vision that eluded others, to see not what was, but what could be. He leaves that gift to us all.
Ken is not there now. But look and you will see him, in all that we can do as a community still striving to move forward, to honor his memory.
William R. Barth is the Editor of the Beloit Daily News.
That's because Ken was one of us, just a hard-working Midwestern boy going about his business, greeting his friends, plugging into the things that mattered to him.
It was almost easy to forget that Ken had such national stature, that he was widely known as a titan of the business world. Sure, we all knew he had great success and oodles of money. But that guy - the rich, powerful mogul - wasn't really the Ken we knew, and loved, here in the Stateline Area.
THE MAN WE knew was an omnipresent fixture in the everyday life of the community. Ken had a keen sense of the people of this area and their aspirations for themselves and their children.
He took a genuine interest in matters large and small, and never seemed too busy to hear people out. He was always approachable, always attentive, always generous with his time.
So much so, probably, that most folks took it somewhat for granted. In recent years - on issue after issue, problem after problem - people in the community usually came around to this point: “Let's see what Ken Hendricks thinks.”
Often that meant a call to Ken's cell phone, which half the town had on speed-dial. It was rare indeed when the man himself didn't quickly pick up.
Ken would listen, give common-sense advice and, frequently, decide to get personally involved in solving whatever problem came his way.
HOW SPECIAL was that relationship between the area - particularly, Beloit - and this vital, energetic man?
Those with great wealth - the fortune amassed by Ken and his beloved wife, Diane, has been estimated at $3.5 billion - usually are insulated by layers of bureaucracy and security. It is common for wealthy people to be closely guarded by large, intimidating, and, sometimes, armed men. Their lavish lifestyles are usually walled off from the common folks, who might only catch fleeting glimpses of darkened windows in passing limos.
But Ken was best known for driving around in an old Jeep, wearing blue jeans and boots, showing up unannounced at this or that event. His notion of fine dining was a fish fry in Afton. He didn't trust elitists, and definitely didn't lie awake at night yearning to be admitted to their exclusive club.
It's a sweet irony, though, that as Ken's shadow continued to lengthen, people who once might have spurned this high-school dropout turned master entrepreneur, yearned to be part of his circle.
I HAVE BEEN covering the life of this gritty community for more than three decades now. I've seen its worst. I've seen its best.
And I know what Ken Hendricks' greatest gift to Beloit was all about.
Optimism.
The rise of ABC Supply Co. and the Hendricks empire coincided with tumultuous times for Beloit. As his business sprouted wings, Beloit took a nosedive. The old manufacturing base began to fade. The local economy coughed and sputtered. The glory days slowly slipped away. Nothing so symbolized the community in decline as the painful death spiral of Beloit Corporation, the city's most dependable employer for more than a century.
Real despair gripped this city. It is not an exaggeration to say plenty of people thought the slide irreversible.
JUST WHEN THINGS seem bleakest, the believers among us like to think, the man upstairs has made a habit throughout human history of sending in a champion. I'm not sure Ken would be comfortable with that image, but I think he arrived at just the right time to lift the people of the Stateline Area.
Where others saw blight, he saw opportunity.
Where others felt powerless, he flexed a mighty can-do spirit.
Where there were barriers, he knocked them down.
Where there was fear, he was fearless.
Where there was despair, he was hopeful.
Look around this community on the rebound, and you will see Ken Hendricks' influence everywhere. In the bricks and mortar, sure, but even more in the infectious optimism that has the Greater Beloit community dreaming dreams again, believing in itself, daring to stretch for what is just beyond its reach.
SOME MONTHS BACK, Publisher Kent Eymann and I dropped in on Ken at his office for a talk. We wanted to see what he had to say about the community and his plans, but we also hoped to talk about the newspaper business - which is in the midst of trying times nationally - to see what Ken might say about reinvigorating the industry.
True to form, he had ideas and opinions that challenged us and gave us plenty to think about.
Ken said if he ran a newspaper it would be about the positive things in the community, what was going right, not what was going wrong. He said people can find out about wars and scandals and murders and rapes and all that stuff somewhere else. He asked why we didn't leave that stuff out, or stick it way back in the paper, and just focus on the good news.
That conversation comes back to me on this day, when a great man goes to his final rest. It was the essence of Beloit's wonderful friend, Ken Hendricks. Looking for the good. Believing in the positive. Building confidence. Absolutely sure that tomorrow can be better than today.
I ONCE WROTE, in recognition of one of Ken's numerous achievements, that he was a man “who sees things that aren't there.” His unsurpassed entrepreneurial skills gave him vision that eluded others, to see not what was, but what could be. He leaves that gift to us all.
Ken is not there now. But look and you will see him, in all that we can do as a community still striving to move forward, to honor his memory.
William R. Barth is the Editor of the Beloit Daily News.
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