Sparrow says farewell to Hy-Vee after nearly 45 years of service

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News

Some people think long and hard about retirement.

Not Curt Sparrow. The thought of retiring first entered Sparrow?s mind when he turned 62 years of age last October. The thought became reality June 30 when he turned in his apron.

Thus far, Sparrow hasn?t had time to think about his career-ending decision. ?I have seven grandchildren and in the last two weeks, there were 17 ball games to attend. Because some of them were in different towns at the same time, she (his wife, Cindy) went to some, I went to some and we went together to some of them.?

Sparrow, a native of rural Salem, began working at Hy-Vee as a stockboy during his senior year at Mt. Pleasant High School. During the next four decades, he worked in the dairy, produce and frozen foods departments, ending his stint with four years in frozen foods.

Although he said he had management opportunities, that wasn?t his style. ?I never wanted to be in management. It is nice to be able to do your job and go home at night.?

Naturally, his career with the grocery chain has contained many highlights. He doesn?t have to do any thinking when coming up with his top highlight.

?First and foremost, being hired by my future father-in-law, Joe Halferty, was tops,? he reflected. Sparrow has worked in all three Hy-Vee stores in Mt. Pleasant (the first two were where FCOC and the E3 center are now located). He also had the honor of knowing Dwight Vrendenberg, who was one of the sons of Hy-Vee?s founder.

Sparrow said the reputation of Hy-Vee drew him to cast his lot with the company. ?When I started, it was one of the best places to work in town. It was a prestigious company to work for.

?It was also a lot better working in an air-conditioned store than baling hay,? he chuckled, a summer job he had until he began working for Hy-Vee.

His starting wage as a stockboy was $1.75 per hour. He thought he was rich.

During his time at Hy-Vee, he has seen many changes, most of which have been technology related.

The tenure also has produced many friendships ? both with customers, employees and former employees. ?When I first started, there was a closeness then and you just felt like family with your co-workers.?

Further reflections had the retiree remembering unloading semi trucks of groceries onto rolling tracks set up across the backroom. There were also no scanners when he began at Hy-Vee. Prices had to be personally stamped on all products by hand.

?The groceries were key puched by hand on the old Sweeda cash registers at the checkout,? he continued. ?We sacked and personally carried or wheeled each customer?s groceries to their car. That?s how strong customer relationships were built.?

Hy-Vee also carried ?Regal? stamps for years and Wednesday was double stamp day, so a lot of customers made it a point to shop that day.?

Today?s technology has replaced many former hands-on duties, he noted. ?A lot of things were done by hand back then, such as bagging potatoes, oranges, onions, etc., directly out of a potato-bagger bin. I worked in produce back then, so there were many memories of those ways of doing things. We did inventory with a roll of adding machine paper on a string around our waists and personally counted all items in the store, tagging them with a slip of paper.

?Life is all about change, and I have witnessed many changes during my years at Hy-Vee,? he remarked.

Another highlight was his photo on one of the Hy-Vee semi trucks after he celebrated 40 years with the company. Sparrow said he never saw the actual truck but received three replicas of ?his? truck.

Looking ahead and reflecting simultaneously, Sparrow said he knows there are some things he will miss...and some he won?t. ?I won?t miss the workload because I am getting older. The last four or five years we kept having to do more with less. I will, however, miss the customers and employees.?

He hasn?t formed any concrete plans for retirement. His wife still works as a para-educator at Salem Elementary School. For now, he will become engrossed in family activities, adding that his church (Harmony Bible Church in Danville) is also very important in the couple?s lives.

?I am thankful to have been a part of Hy-Vee for nearly 45 years and am grateful to have provided for my family because of Hy-Vee,? he said. ?I am ready for another life change now in the retirement world. I am truly looking forward to it.?