Our Past Is Present April 2, 2018

April 2, 2018

            This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.

            “Like father, like son” is a well-known cliché.  In an article written by George Pollock, Daily Union newspaper copy editor in 1983, he wrote that “a Junction City father and son team has taken that phrase literally.  Jim Nixon owned and operated Jim’s Phillips 66 Service at 12th and Washington Streets where he began in 1965. His son, Russ, operated the Fourth Street Mobil at Fourth and Washington Streets. When Russ was 8 years old, he began helping his dad at the “66” station.  Russ changed tires, cleaned the station waited on people and did anything he could to help. 

            As time passed and Russ had the opportunity to grow in the business, like any father, Jim encouraged his son to step out on his own.  That opportunity came when Mike and Arlene Dellefate sold Mike’s Conoco.  Mike died of a heart attack in 1982 and Arlene later sold her interest in the station to Fred Bramlage, who was the area distributor for the Mobil Oil Corporation. 

            Russ Nixon became the manager of the Fourth Street Mobil in February of 1982.  Having worked in his father’s station, provided a good foundation for running a station on his own.  Russ stated that he “likes running a service station.  I couldn’t sit in an office building all day and write all day, like a businessman.” 

            “Jim’s 66” was a full service station.  Long after other stations stopped providing service; Jim’s employees would pump the gas, wash the windshield and check tire pressure as a convenience to their customers.  When Jim retired, the station closed. 

            Well… that’s today’s story on “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.