Southwestern Alumni

Calling all alumni! 📢

Mark your calendars for July 26 in Mount Pleasant, SC!

Expect good vibes, throwback laughs, and book stories that somehow keep getting better with time.

Spread the word, tag your crew, and let’s make this get-together one for the books—literally 🥁

RSVP with the 🔗 in bio 🙃

Happy Thanksgiving to all Southwestern Alumni 🍁

From the Archives 📚

The car is a place where much time is spent navigating the book field. It also doubles as a sanctuary decorated with positive affirmations, pre-approach pads, and books to be delivered in the trunk. Who knows what other treasures one might discover hidden under the seats upon arriving back in Nashville for check-in?

The array of vehicles used by book people over the course of the past century and a half can be viewed as a history of the American automotive industry, from Model-T’s to modern cars of today. The first photographs of cars that we have in the Archives are from the early 20th century. Many of them state the salesperson’s name and “Southwestern Co” hand painted on the door (the modern version is the SW magnet seen on cars today). Some images show cars loaded with books or with a bike on board. As a testament to the Southwestern spirit, there are lots of photos that show groups of friends and fellow book people congregating around/in/or on top of their vehicle.

We’d love to see your SW car photos! Send us a picture at [email protected]

(Photos: top row, left to right – 1. Ben E. Wiggins, 3. unknown, Bob Ripley, unknown, Russell Leonard; bottom row, left to right, 1. unknown, 2. unknown, 3. McConnell, 4. John Kloess, Peter Cheng, Gene Kolczynski)

For all who served and those still serving, we thank you 🫡

Alumni Spotlight in the name of Veteran's day:

3-summer bookman, Scott Huitink is a general pediatrician taking care of the medical needs of children from birth to young adulthood. During his time in the US Army, he received the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Iraq Campaign Medal.

Some of Scott's biggest professional accomplishments after being honorably discharged from the military have included co-founding an autism therapy company, Focus Behavioral Associates, in Waco, TX (2012), and starting a pediatric clinic, Compass Pediatrics, in Gallatin, TN (2019 ).

Fifteen alumni who sold books from 1968-1976 all met for the SW Alumni Gathering this past weekend in Seattle, WA. 

All alumni were part of the early organizations headed by Mark Gravbrot and Mike Buehler.
The event was held at the top-rated Sahalee Golf and Country Club. Many stories were shared with topics including strangest objection, first year motivation to sell books, and oddest bookfield experience.

Alumni came from as far away as from Knoxville, New Mexico, and Florida!

Wishing you a happy and restful Labor Day🧑‍💻

From the Archives 📚

One of the most fun collections of artifacts in the Archives are the salesman’s cases. Many of you remember how cumbersome travel suitcases used to be, with the hard, textured plastic shell and a small, curved handle for carrying. Yes, carrying, not rolling. It’s hard to even remember how this world existed.

A product of its time, the Southwestern salesman’s case from the 1970s and earlier followed the same luggage aesthetic. However, true to the spirit and ingenuity of the Southwestern salesperson, the clunky salesman’s case was transformed from a burden to a useful solution. The case doubled as a sitting stool, convenient for presentation of books to the customer.

There were many iterations of the case, from the earliest example, a classic briefcase style, to the hard-shelled plastic case of the 70s. For decades, it maintained the rectangle shape with minor changes in measurements. The plastic shell provided a new opportunity for color variations and special Superstar awards cases.

The idea of proudly carrying an awards case wasn’t a new concept, however. Henry Bedford won the Golden Sample Case Award in 1972, which was the predecessor to the Superstar sample case and was only awarded for one year.

The case progressed in the 80s to the fabric bag, and obviously today, with the use of technology, the load is much lighter. Not only are the cases a relic of company history, but they almost universally evoke a sense of gratitude for innovation, intentional design, and technology.

If you have a vintage Southwestern sales case (from the 70s or prior), we’d LOVE to see it. Send us a picture at [email protected]

Southwestern Alumni A place to connect and stay up to date with Southwestern Advantage Alumni, events and reunions

Be sure to RSVP for the Alumni Gathering in Nebraska as it is only 5 weeks away. You don’t want to miss it!

🔗 in the bio

Diving into Sunday meeting like … ✌🏼

Carol Zenthoefer (née Wolfe), a Southwestern alum, who sold for four summers between 1973-77, visited Nashville last week for the first time in 47 years.

She brought along her husband, Mark, and they toured the building and the archives.

The visit coincided with sales school and Carol was thrilled to be able to chat with new interns in the parking lot.

She taught them one of her traditions, “loose as a goose,” and ensured them that their lives and communities would be infinitely impacted by the experience in a positive way.

She reminisced about selling the Pictoral Bible Dictionary and how she would have her customers sign the inside cover to show the neighbors their support, a perfect example of SW ingenuity in practice.

This was just one of many stories recalled from her Southwestern experience and she even donated a few of her awards pins to the archives.

We love hearing all of your Southwestern stories!
Keep em coming!