Jefferson County Online A part of the IAGenWeb and USGenWeb Projects The 'Madegood Family' Ray H. Maxwell

"The Fairfield Daily Ledger"
Fairfield, Iowa
Saturay, April 25, 1925
Front Page and Page 4

No. 4 RAY H. MAXWELL

"Ah," you will greet us without waiting for the formality of an introduction, "another illustrious member of the Madegood Family." And your deduction is quite well founded, for we are here presenting one of the older and well known members of the family, Mr. Ray H. Maxwell, a chap who believes so strongly in letting people live that he has devoted his life to furnishing food for them. Sometimes he's even a bit insistent on furnishing us the food.

"Now will that be all?" Ray will inquire with seeming casualness after you have given your order for ten cents worth of cheese and a five cent bunch of onions. You think so--yes, you are quite sure you know of no other need. But again Ray's rich, wheedling baritone gets into action: "We've got some specially fine canned tomatoes of a new brand in today; some very choice home grown berries just came in this morning; and have you ever tried our five-pound package of coffee?"

But you know how 'tis--you go home and sit down to a real meal just because Ray has done your thinking for you, and because he has a way of convincing you that you ought to live better. 'Sall right though, for a grocer has to do a lot of thinking for other people these days in order to do business in spite of the fact that he charges us 35 cents a dozen for country eggs for which he pays only 33 cents.

Ray is another disciple of Charley Herring. Charley rescued him from the old bus barn years and years ago, when bus barns were not specially qualified as training quarters for future preachers--or even grocers. Ray stayed enough years with Charley Herring to learn the fine points about the grocery business, then went into partnership with Ralph Maddox. Later Ray took the job of running the business alone. 'Twas a man's size job but that hasn't seemed to bother Ray much, and he's been at it now for some 19 years.

Of course, if just merely running a big grocery store like that was all that Ray Maxwell had found to do in all these years he'd probably have found time to become one of the most expert fishermen in town. But he has always had a foolish sort of an idea that he ought to be doing something for his town and community when he could spare a little time away from the store. So that's how comes that Ray isn't always greeted with effusive heartiness when he drops in to see some of the other business men. Trouble is Ray nearly always had a bit of a subscription paper concealed about his person. Now, these old time Fairfield merchants are a pretty generous lot of chaps, and they like to help build up the prosperity of the town--and they like Ray--but it gets to be something more than casual, not to say monotonous, to have him dropping in every few days and asking them to kick in their share of $10,000 to get the Dexter Washing machine company to locate here, or to start a malleable iron factory, or to build up a bigger college--'n' everything. But they do it, and that's how we've come to get our factories and colleges.

And of course Ray thinks it would look a bit inconsistent for him to go 'round asking others to kick in if he didn't come through, too, so you're pretty sure to find Ray Maxwell's name tolerably well toward the top of the list. You see, tisn't a lot of bunk what he has to say about boosting the town--he backs up the idea with his time, work and his own hard-earned cash.

But Ray gets a wonderful kick out of the job of boosting, and once in a while--a considerable while though mind you--there is some one foolish enough to show him appreciation for his efforts, even to the extent of buying his smoking tobacco at Ray's store. 'Twas only the other day a fellow who does something or other down at the Dexter factory was in the store and says to Ray, sez zee:

"You know I'm buying groceries and other stuff from you men that got me a job. If't hadn't been for you fellows putting' up cash and donating a lot of work I wouldn't have the job I got, because there wouldn't be any factories here and there'd be a lot of us wouldn't have no work. And if I'd happen to lose my home and everything I got in a fire I know that it'd be you men who have stouck (sic) by us for years who'd be the ones to help me out. I'm not an educated man but I can see where my bread and butter comes from."

Made Ray feel so good he went to the phone and called up the committee that's trying to raise money to bring an overall factory here and told them he'd double his subscription; then told the committee that is trying to raise money for a free amusement park that if they needed any help he'd try and give them a couple days.

From all of which you may gather that Ray H. Maxwell is a pretty public-spirited sort of a guy and likes to take off his coat and work for the old town and make jobs for all of us. And even though he does wheedle us into buying some grape fruit or oranges, or a can of salmon, sometimes when we didn't intend to we don't mind. Ray'll always send down a truck and take them back anyway if we find we've overshot on our weekly allowance. And anyway, it's the Ray Maxwells of Fairfield who have made it possible for us to have anything to make allowances with.