News: Granton Fall Festival (Schwarze’s Honored - 1972)

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

Surnames: Schwarze, Amidon

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co, WI) 9/14/1972

Granton Fall Festival (Schwarze’s Honored - 1972)

A woman pharmacist and her businessman husband have been selected as “citizens of the year” in the village of Granton. They will be honored at the annual Granton Fall Festival.

The recently retired drug sore owners, Mr. and Mrs. Durward Schwarze, operated their pharmacy in Granton for a total of 32 years, before retiring in May of this year.

Mrs. Schwarze, known as Alvera to her friends, was born and graduated from high school in Greenwood: While a freshman in high school, she worked for the Gullord pharmacy in Greenwood and gained her interest in drug preparation. After high school, she attended the Milwaukee School of pharmacy and again worked for Gullords.

Mrs. Schwarze is the only woman pharmacist in Clark County.

Mr Schwarze was also born in Greenwood and graduated from high school there. He was employed in his father’s business, Schwarze Implement, after his graduation. He continued to work with his father in the early years of his marriage.

In 1941 the Schwarzes purchased the Granton drug company from Mrs. G. E. Amidon. Mrs. Schwarze immediately moved to Granton and began operation of the store. Her husband joined her soon afterward as a work-related injury caused him to leave the implement business.

Mrs. Schwarze remembers her first day in business in Granton, as she took in just a little over $20.00. She recalls that, at that time, she thought it was a losing business.

The pharmacy was open every night except Sunday and many nights found the Schwarzes working until midnight filling prescriptions and dispensing patent medicines. The big specialties of the store were the soda fountain treats, especially the ice cream sundaes and malted milks. Customers were served in booths along the north side of the building presently operated as Steiner’s store.

The Granton Public library was located in the back of the store until 1944, when the library board purchased the present brick library building. Mrs. Schwarze is still a member of the library board.

Durward Schwarze is an active member of the Granton Rotary club and a director of the Citizen’s State Bank of Loyal and Granton. He also has served on the Granton School board and the village board. He and his wife are members of Zion Lutheran Church.

When the Schwarzes sold their business earlier this year they decided to build a new home across from their present residence. Having worked seven days a week for most of their lives, they intend to just “sit around and relax.”

Mr. and Mrs. Schwarze will ride in the Fall Festival Parade of Granton, Sunday, September 17, and will be honored throughout the festival as Granton’s honored citizens of the year.