HOOPER, CHARLES A.

When Charles A. Hooper of Atchison, KS, came to Great Bend, KS, in April of 1886, he seemed to be a man with a plan. He was hired as a druggist in Dr. Morgan Tulles' Drug Store, but that was just the first step. The very next month, he bought a half interest in the store, forming the Tulles-Hooper Drug Store. They moved into a new location in October and in September, 1887, Charles buys out Dr. Tulles' other half, renaming the operation the Hooper Drug Co. The store is enlarged and a soda fountain added in 1888. New lines of merchandise were added, including an extensive selection of wallpaper and paints for home beautification. The road to success wasn't without its bumps, like a conviction early in his career for not keeping exact records for sales of medicinal alcohol and a fine of $100 and 30 days in jail. The community thought so highly of him that a petition was sent to the governor requesting a pardon of the jail time. Among the signators of the petition were the judge and jury that convicted him. His newspaper ads disappear in 1923.