Fort Scott Presbyterian Village
JUNE 2019
Meet our new Life Enrichment Director
Our resident: Bert remembers when Bertha “Bert” Nichols has some great memories she would like to share. The Nichols Brothers general store started in 1904 by the four Nichols brothers and two sisters. It was located in Southwest City, Mo., which is in the corner of three states: Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma. On Saturdays, the streets of Southwest City were so full you could hardly get around because Saturday was trade day. Folks from all three states would come to buy and sell their goods. Bert said that when the store first opened, it carried just the necessities like dishes, groceries, hardware and machinery. In the 1930s, the store added toys, clothes and a gas pump. Bert started working in the store right after her high school graduation in 1943. One of the fondest memories was when the Native American children would come in with their families to purchase groceries. Some of the children could speak English and some of the children could only speak in their language. Some of the children’s parents would refuse to speak English because they did not want to conform to the English language.
Nichols Bros. General Store was a landmark in Southwest City, Mo. and was where Bert Nichols worked with her husband for many years.
The Nichols Brothers store had a program for the teachers of the country schools. Those teachers could bring students to the store to get new clothes, food or school supplies, just anything that student might need, but the Nichols Brothers store would give that student a – continued on page 2
Hi, my name is Judy Davis. I began working at Presbyterian Village in May 2018 on the floor as a wellness caregiver. When the opportunity arose and the life enrichment director position opened, I knew in my heart God was calling me to apply for that position. I have worked as an activity director in healthcare since 1995. I enjoy building relationships with the special people I get to help take care of. My job duties consist of planning and coordinating diverse activities while creating monthly activity calendars. The best thing about planning my activity calendar is hearing the tenants share the different things they want to do each month and putting them into action. – continued on page 2
Fort Scott Presbyterian Village | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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