Butte
County
Biographies
OTHEL A. and SITTON S. KILPATRIC
One
of the most successful business enterprises of northern California is that
owned by Othel A., Sitton S. and L. T. Kilpatric, consisting of a chain of nine
grocery stores situated in the principal cities of the Sacramento Valley. The chain store idea, wherein large buying
power enables the owner to dispose of his stock at lower prices than the
independent owner, is an outstanding feature of the development of modern day
business, and is not, as often presumed, an encroachment upon former business
methods. Othel A. Kilpatric is strictly
an up-to-date business man, and maintains a high standard in the conduct of his
wide commercial interests. He makes each
of his stores a benefit to the community in which it is situated, something to
assist in the growth and add to the happiness of that community.
Othel A. Kilpatric was born in Missouri, September 17,
1891, a son of T. B. and L. T. (Sitton) Kilpatric. T. B. Kilpatric, the founder of the chain
grocery business now owned by his widow and his sons, was born in Tennessee in
1853. Prior to coming to California he
engaged in the mercantile business in Missouri for a period of thirty
years. He was particularly interested in
the local potato growers and encouraged them in sorting their potatoes to grade
in order that they might compete with northern growers. It was in 1913 that he took up his abode at
Chico, California, where he was instrumental in establishing the Chico Federal
Loan Bank. He also figured prominently
in the work of the Baptist Church and was about to leave for the Baptist
convention at Palo Alto, California, when he passed away in 1928. His interest in the chain grocery business
then fell to his widow. They were the
parents of three sons.
Othel A. Kilpatric began his education in the common
schools of his native state and in 1911 graduated from Drury College of
Springfield, Missouri. He then engaged
in the banking business in that state until 1913 and continued therein at Chico
following the removal of the family to Butte County, California. Three years later, in 1916, the family
established a chain of grocery stores, which have been operated as a
partnership by Othel A. and Sitton S. Kilpatric since the death of their father
in 1928. Nine stores are conducted in
the Sacramento Valley, as follows: No. 1
and No. 6 are at Chico; No. 2 is at Oroville; No. 3 at Red Bluff; No. 4 at
Redding; No. 5 at Willows; No. 7 at Gridley; No. 8 at Grass Valley; and No. 9
at Marysville. Headquarters are at
Chico, and a warehouse is maintained at Sacramento. The Kilpatric stores are all operated on a
percentage basis of the profits, and the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand
dollars is invested in them. Each
manager is required to own his home in the city where his store is located and
is expected to give his support to local civic organizations, such as Chambers
of Commerce and the Rotary Club. This
system really makes each manager a virtual owner of his store without a heavy
investment. The stores are supplied with
merchandise purchased in the west, and are conducted in the most sanitary and
modern fashion, ever looking to the convenience and satisfaction of the buying
public.
In
1913, Othel A. Kilpatric was married to Miss Nell Hudson, a native of Missouri
and a college trained girl. They are the
parents of two children, Othel A., Jr., and Cora. Mr. Kilpatric gives his political support to
the Democratic Party and is rendering efficient service to his fellow townsmen
as a member of the Chico board of education, of which he is a past
president. He belongs to the Rotary Club
and is widely recognized as a public-spirited, enterprising and progressive
citizen of his community. His religious
faith is indicated by his membership in the First Baptist Church, the teachings
of which find exemplification in his daily life.
Sitton S. Kilpatric, brother of Othel A., was born in
Missouri in 1894 and there graduated from high school. He followed farming until turning his attention
to mercantile pursuits and is now one of the partners in the chain store
business founded by his father. He married Miss Nesta Davis, of Chico,
California, and they have three children:
Jack, Billie Neal and Marilyn.
Like his brother, S. S. Kilpatric is a member of the First Baptist
Church and gives his political support to the Democratic Party.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Wooldridge, J.W.Major History of Sacramento Valley
California, Vol. 3, Pages 278-279. Pioneer Historical
Publishing Co. Chicago 1931.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's Butte County Biographies