When Greg Michels talks about “my kids,” he isn’t necessarily referring to the three who carry his last name.
Michels, a pharmacist here for 32 years, has spent considerable time coaching youngsters in the TRYSA soccer league; he’s also coached recreation league softball, developed a softball traveling team, and coached in MAYB basketball. His wife Lea — a nurse, an athlete and a sports fan as well — has been involved, too, particularly with TRYSA and the state soccer association, for which she served several years as secretary.
The family also has a close involvement with activities at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, he said.
This year, the Michels family will move to Lawrence, where Greg Michels will be in charge of the pharmacy department at a Walmart that will open soon at Wakarusa and Sixth streets on the northwest side of the city.
The decision wasn’t an easy one for the family, who’d established solid roots here.
“We felt our children could grow up here and have good opportunities, academic and athletic,” he said. “The smallness and close-knitness was important to us.”
Greg Michels came from Clifton to Emporia, which seemed like a big town then, to attend Emporia State University. After two years here, he moved on to the University of Kansas, where he earned his pharmacy degree before returning.
He worked for six years at the David’s store pharmacy here, then set up a new pharmacy in the Alco store that replaced David’s and now is the site of Guion’s Furniture Showcase. Then Walmart hired him to set up and open its first pharmacy department in Emporia.
“I was there from Day One,” Michels said. “I love the people I work with. I love our community.”
The people he’s met while filling their prescriptions have become more like friends than customers, he said.
In May, he would have been at Walmart for 26 years.
Instead, he already will be at work in Lawrence.
“The ability to start over from Day One like I did in Emporia, it’s just a good opportunity,” Michels said, looking at the pluses of the move and the fun in organizing another start-up pharmacy. “I enjoy that part of it a lot.”
His brother Larry Michels, who was a pharmacist in Lawrence, is recovering from serious health problems, and it will be good for the Emporia Michelses to live close to the Lawrence Michels family.
Younger daughter Morgan, 18, plans to enroll at KU in the pre-pharmacy program and likely will stay there six years until she completes her degree.
Morgan, he said, was almost born wearing KU’s crimson and blue.
“She came out of the room with a KU outfit on her,” Michels said. “It’s just kind of natural for her to want to go there. ...
“The timing now was just like it was meant to be.”
He’s known about plans for a new Walmart and pharmacy in Lawrence for about five years and, as the plans came closer to fruition, he and Lea realized the job in Lawrence would be a good fit for them.
“Of course, we love Lawrence and we’re crazy KU fans. It’s like moving home,” he said.
Their son, Stephen, and family live close by, in Topeka.
Daughter, Ashley, almost 22, just moved from Clarksville, Tenn., where she attended classes at and played soccer for Austin Peay State University. She now lives in Wichita, where she will study to be a radiologist.
Ashley Michels kept her parents “chasing around the country” to attend soccer games. Michels said. “Out of 40 games, either my wife or I went to 37 of them.”
The shortest travel distance was nine hours; the longest was 17. The Michelses also devoted considerable time and travel to attend KU games, post-season games included.
Now, the family will have its travel distance cut considerably, and Michels anticipates attending far more sporting and theatre events in Lawrence that they’ve been able to do in the past.
Lea and Morgan will stay in Emporia until Morgan graduates from Emporia High School and competes for the last time at the Lyon County Free Fair. Lea runs the Cloverleaf Diner during the fair, and their commitment to finishing what they started is strong enough to keep them both here into mid-August, Michels said.
Michels’s last day at work in Emporia will be April 16; he will start his new job the following day.
He’s leaving life here with a high degree of satisfaction, in the job and co-workers, his friends and customers and the youngsters he coached in sports over the years. Many of them were signed to play sports in college, and he estimated that three or four more of his younger team members will move on to college, too, after they get through high school.
He incorporated life skills into the sports as he coached, letting his players know there was more to sports than the game on the field or on the court. Those skills were something he thought “his” kids should know.
“I dealt with the mental part of the game a lot,” Michels said. “You’re also preparing for school and life, that’s what you’re preparing for.
“There’s probably nothing better than seeing the kids go on. Just watching my kids move on in life is awesome.”
josiesbar (anonymous) says...
Get out while the getting is good! Good call Michels!
April 5, 2009 at 2:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
logical (anonymous) says...
Congratulations. Your family will be missed!! You have been a great asset to our community!!!
April 5, 2009 at 10:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )