Oral history interview with Jess Ondell

Author / Creator

Ondell, Jess

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Summary

Jess Ondell (1922- ) grew up in eastern South Dakota on a 700 acre farm operated by his father. (Place names- Mellette, Brentford, Conde) His father and grandfather were both born in Norway. His mo...

Jess Ondell (1922- ) grew up in eastern South Dakota on a 700 acre farm operated by his father. (Place names- Mellette, Brentford, Conde) His father and grandfather were both born in Norway. His mother's family is of German ancestry. Her family settled in Milwaukee. His father was a professional wrestler for a time before he returned to South Dakota to farm. Jess attended a one room schoolhouse in rural Benton township in South Dakota. His only sibling was a sister who died at age two, so Jess was essentially an only child. He went to high school in the closest large town and graduated in 1937 from Brentford High School. He lettered in 4 sports in high school. He started in college at Augustana in Sioux Falls in the fall of 1937 with the intention to major in pre-med. After war was declared in December of 1941 Jess joined the Navy and was on active duty in a submarine in the South Pacific. He met his future wife, Marilyn Stark, at Augustana College and was married in 1944. After the war he returned to South Dakota and attended pharmacy school in Brookings. He received his pharmacy degree in the Twin Cities area. Later he worked for Walgreen's as a druggist and helped to establish several Walgreen's stores in the Twin Cities area. In 1957 he had an opportunity to open a Rexall Drug Store in La Crosse with a former pharmacy school classmate, Mark Arneson. The store was located at 1810 Jackson Street, now Jackson Plaza. He remained in partnership with Mark Arneson for nearly 20 years. Jess felt that he wanted more challenges and opportunities in his career so he started a Masters Degree in Mass Communication at UW La Crosse in 1963. He took classes at night and completed his coursework in 1967. He saw an opportunity in the restaurant business and he opened his first Hardee's restaurant in Prairie du Chien in 1972. Over the next 20 years he opened and operated 30 Hardee's restaurants throughout Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota and north-east Iowa. He retired from the restaurant business in 1995. Marilyn and Jess Ondell have three children; Todd (b.1949), Rochelle (b.1951) and Dane (b.1954). Todd and Dane were also involved in the Hardee's business for a period of time.

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