Bio: Quicker, Dan – Neillsville Am. Legion to Honor (Jun 2019)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

----Surnames: Quicker Grap

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark, Co) 5/29/2019

Neillsville’s Marshall to be Honored by Legion (Quicker – 2019)

Quicker to be Honored by Legion

Don Quicker, a veteran of the Vietnam War, will be one of three June honorees at the Neillsville Legion Post.

Quicker was born in Neillsville. He attended Northside Grade School for kindergarten and grades one through six. Then he attended Southside Grade School for grades seven and eight. In 1964, he graduated from Neillsville High School.

While in high school, Quicker worked at Prock’s Northside Grocery Store.

Later, Quicker attended Wisconsin State University at Eau Claire, which was later renamed the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He graduated in 1968 with an accounting degree.

While in college, Quicker worked summers and weekends at Badger State Telephone Company and later at Fullerton Lumber Company.

After graduation, he wanted to go to graduate school, but the draft board said no. So, Quicker worked for six months at the Touche Ross Accounting Firm’s Twin Cities office and the draft board allowed him a one-month delay to write his certified public accountant (CPA) exam in November 1968.

In December 1968, Quicker was drafted into the Army. He took basic training at Fort Campbell in Kentucky and then went to Fort Knox in Kentucky to become a company clerk. After the fourth day, he was done with the course and worked there until August.

In September, he went to Fort Lewis in Washington for embarkation to Vietnam.

Having been assigned in finance, Quicker ended up as the accountant for 20,000-member strong 101st Airborne Division. After a week of combat training, Quicker worked seven nine-hour days per week at his day job, and at night there were other duties as assigned.

Quicker was at Bien Hoa, near Saigon, for six weeks. Then in November 1969, he was transferred to High I Corps in the three most-northern provinces. He was stationed at Camp Campbell near Phu Bai.

After a rainstorm that lasted 15 days and with low temperatures day and night, Quicker volunteered to ride shotgun on various missions. Along with his day job, he would set up night ambushes in enemy territory. Quicker was never injured but had some problems with a rocket going off 200 yards from him.

After his year was up, he was early discharged in October 1970. After two months off, he went to work as a staff accountant at Bertelson’s in Eau Claire.

After receiving a CPA certificate, he returned to Neillsville and opened his own practice as a CPA. He had the practice until 1980 when he sold it due to Lewis Grap, his key employee, passing away.

Quicker is active at the Sav-Rite Building Center, as well as a miniature golf course in Hatfield and a tubing operation on the Sugar River.

Quicker married his wife, Cindy in 1970, and has two daughters, Jenni and Jesse. He also has three grandchildren. He has helped at Saving Sunburst Youth Homes and helped selecting the site for The Highground. He is the treasurer at The Highground and has donated much of his time to the facility.

Quicker also helped in getting Figi’s and Westwood Kitchens to Neillsville. He also put together the group that helped Mayville Engineering Company expand to Neillsville.

Quicker volunteers for the American Legion, his church and various groups. He has been a Kiwanis Club member for 45 years.

Quicker will be honored at an event at the American Legion Post 73, 6 Boon Boulevard, Neillsville, this Monday, June 3. There will be a social hour at 4:30 p.m. with a potluck following at 5:30 p.m.