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“Mr. Co-op”: How Ray Theisen Enhanced Cooperative and Community Values in the Chippewa Valley
Esther Theisen
History 489: Research Seminar Fall 2018
Copyright for this work is owned by the author. The digital version is published in
McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with the consent of the author.
Contents
List of Figures
................................................................................................................................
iii
Abstract
..........................................................................................................................................
iii
Epigraph
...........................................................................................................................................
1
Introduction
......................................................................................................................................
2
Historiography
.................................................................................................................................
4
History of Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire
.......................................................
8
Ray Theisen’s Life
.........................................................................................................................
17
Consumer Cooperatives in the Age of Postwar Consumerism
......................................................
25
The Legacy of Consumers Co-op Today
.......................................................................................
31
Works Cited
...................................................................................................................................
34
ii
List of Figures
Figure 1. Ray Theisen speaking at Ray Wachs Civic Center, downtown Eau Claire, unknown date………………………………………………………………………………...………………2
Figure 2. Co-op Super Service station is opened at 501 Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire, WI, 1940………………………………………………………………………………………………11
Figure 3. Co-op Food Store downtown Eau Claire, WI, ca. 1940……………………………….13
Figure 4. Ray Theisen’s Air Force enlistment photo, Milwaukee, WI, 1942……………………18
Figure 5. Ray Theisen addresses members at annual Co-op meeting, Eau Claire, WI, ca. 1965………………………………………………………………………………………………30
iii
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Abstract
Ray Theisen’s life and career, particularly his 30-plus years as general manager of Consumers’ Co-op of Eau Claire, had a significant impact on Eau Claire community values, organizations, and businesses. This paper examines Theisen’s early life, service in the military during World War II, personal values, and business knowledge in order to explain his
successes as a manager, as well as a respected community leader. It will also explore how consumer cooperatives function, and why certain principles, such as democracy and community, can be enhanced through a cooperative business model.
iv
Epigraph
It would be an easy thing to eulogize Ray as we pay our last tribute to him. He is a man who had
done so much in his life and with his life. He lived to make this world a better world in as much
as he was able. There are hundreds of stories that can be told about his generosity, his humility,
his foresightedness, his loyalty, his ordinariness, his fatherliness, his folksiness as well as about
his business shrewdness, his merchandising acumen, and his leadership…
I like to think of Ray as a man of good, ordinary, common faith in God. That faith in God was
exemplified in the earliest day of his work as a Co-op manager. I was an assistant pastor at
Sacred Heart Church on the hill just above Ray’s little Co-op gas station and store on South
Farwell and Wisconsin back in 1949. And I can recall seeing Ray at different times jogging up
that steep North Dewey
Street and he’d rush into the rectory office and lay a stipend on the desk
and nearly out of breath say, ‘Father, I’m going to have a sale. Offer a Mass so it will be a
success.’ That would usually be on Wednesday. Then the following Tuesday he’d run up that
same hill again and place another stipend on the desk and say, ‘Father, my sale was a success.
Here, offer a Mass to thank God for me.’ And he’d leave and hurry back to work…
Ray will be with us from now on only in spirit. As we lay his body to rest in the grave, he is
beginning a fascinating adventure in the life of eternity - a life without a body. Today, right
now, he is a freshman all over again - learning to adjust to that new way of life. Meeting and
experiencing the consciousness of the saints that have gone before us and who are united in
that great cooperative known as the ‘Communion of Saints’...
1
Introduction
1 Ray Theisen eulogy, manuscript, in Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook, ca. 1940-1980; privately held by Mr. Jeff Theisen, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
1
The above paragraphs are excerpts taken from Ray
Theisen’s eulogy, given by Father Norb Wilger on January
22, 1983 at Immaculate Conception Church in Eau Claire.
2
These words epitomize Theisen’s dedication to his faith and
career, as well as his efforts to make the people of Eau Claire
and the Chippewa Valley prosper together. His life of service
to the Eau Claire area began with one of his first jobs at
Consumers Cooperative of Eau Claire in 1938.
3
From there,
Theisen went on to join the United States military, manage the
co-op for over 30 years, and serve on numerous boards and
councils for Eau Claire community organizations until his
death in 1983.
The life of Ray Theisen is an important part of the history of Eau Claire and the Chippewa Valley. Eau Claire locals and family members will likely find his biography most interesting and relevant because of the legacy he built; people interested in cooperative businesses and community values can also learn from his life and career as a well- respected business and community leader, both locally and nationally. Theisen’s story and the successes of Consumers Cooperative in Eau Claire are important to the city’s history, as well as contribute
to the greater context of cooperative history in the United States. An analysis of Consumers 2
Bernard McGarty op-ed, “Joining the Greatest Co-op of Them All,” newspaper clipping from unidentified newspaper, in Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook, ca. 1940-1980; privately held by Mr. Jeff Theisen, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
3
Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, “Raymond Theisen: Consumers Co-op,” Business Hall of Fame
,
2016, 16.
2
Figure 1. Ray Theisen speaking at Ray Wachs Civics Center, downtown Eau Claire,
unknown date
Source: Jeff Theisen, Private Collection
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Cooperative and Theisen’s management role will allow readers to better understand the significance of the community-oriented goals behind cooperatives and of the responsible business leaders who implement them.
It is also important to explore consumerism more generally throughout the United States
in order to understand why cooperatives stood apart from mainstream businesses, particularly in
the postwar era. Consumerism first developed out of the Industrial Revolution; as manufacturing took off and products became cheaper and more accessible, people wanted to buy more and more.
4
Mass production and consumption increased even more in the economic prosperity following World War II, and many consumer cooperatives and small businesses fell to the wayside in the wake of increasingly easier, cheaper access to an ever-growing variety of goods through chain stores. This also presented a problem for the employees and consumers working and shopping at such stores: wages and the quality of products suffered in the attempt to make prices as low as possible.
Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire provided an alternative for consumers and employees that valued responsible and democratic business practices over profits. While other cooperatives struggled, the community supported the Co-op. In 1980, the last year Theisen served as full-time general manager before his retirement, Consumers Co-op had 17,000 members, 225 employees, and sold $39 million worth of merchandise.
5
These members clearly thought the cooperative was something worth supporting with five dollar annual dues and regular patronage, and Theisen certainly thought it was a worthy project to which he devoted his life.
6
The discussion of how Consumers Co-op developed in Eau Claire, 4
"The Rise of American Consumerism," PBS, accessed December 16, 2018, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/tupperware-consumer/
.
5
McGarty, Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook. 6
“CO-OP News and Views,” Eau Claire Daily Leader
, April 24, 1956, accessed December 16, 2018, Access Newspaper Archive.
3
Theisen’s background, and the American postwar economic climate are vital elements in determining why the cooperative was important to its members and employees, as well as to the
Chippewa Valley’s history.
Historiography
Consumer cooperatives are not well researched in the history profession, and Ray Theisen’s life and work with Consumers Co-op and the Chippewa Valley has never been approached in historical research. Because of its relative obscurity, this research project will address a gap problem in historical writing. Family members and the past generations that Theisen worked with likely know of his role and influence on cooperative movements and the Chippewa Valley, but few other entities, including the people that live in the area and still benefit from his work decades ago, know of the contributions he made throughout his life. It is an important topic that requires more analysis in order to better understand the development of the Eau Claire and Chippewa Valley communities, as well as American cooperative research.
The two leading scholars that have written broadly on cooperative movements and values are John Curl and Ian MacPherson. Curl's most important work, entitled For All the People: Uncovering the Hidden History of Cooperation, Cooperative Movements, and Communalism in America
, explores how cooperative values developed and spread throughout the United States by various regions and movements. Curl argues that throughout American history, the success and popularity of cooperative movements and businesses have depended on higher price levels, and that it is the government's responsibility to support more cooperatives regardless of the economy in order to enhance community choice and democracy.
7
Since the 7
John Curl, For All the People: Uncovering the Hidden History of Cooperation, Cooperative Movements, and Communalism in America (Oakland, CA: PM Press, 2012), 7.
4
1830s, consumer cooperatives
have also played a large part in protecting consumer interests in American history, though they have commonly shifted in popularity and feasibility as cultural and economic factors have changed. The development of the self-service supermarket in the early 20
th
century was perhaps the biggest such shift that impacted the popularity of cooperatives and small, local stores. Historians credit Clarence Saunder’s store in Memphis Tennessee with the first self-serving grocery store, Piggly Wiggly, in 1917; this involved a new business strategy that allowed customers to shop around and pick out what they needed at the store, rather than give the clerk a
list of items to be delivered at their home.
8
Saunder and other business leaders continued to make shopping more efficient with innovations such as the shopping cart, check-out counters, organized aisles, and by opening new stores with regulated, identical formats under the same name. By 1960, 70% of Americans bought their food from chain store supermarkets, rather than
locally founded and owned groceries.
9
This leads to the question of why Consumers Co-op survived in Eau Claire when other cooperatives across the country were overtaken by large corporations. Why was the Eau Claire community willing to support a local cooperative when other areas were not? Labor scholar Rob Witherell provides a partial answer in his article entitled, “An Emerging Solidarity: Worker Cooperatives, Unions, and the New Union Cooperative Model in the United States.” Witherell suggests that because labor unions and cooperatives share significant values, they complement one another as movements, socially and economically. He describes “unions and worker-owned cooperatives as both being part of a broad-based labour movement with common roots in the 8
Tevere Macfadyen, "The Rise of the Supermarket," American Heritage
, October/November 1985, accessed December 16, 2018, https://www.americanheritage.com/content/rise-supermarket
.
9
Ibid.
5
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industrial revolution of the nineteenth century. Core values and beliefs such as solidarity, dignity and fairness are not exclusive to one or the other, but have been shared principles all along.”
10
Witherell’s explanation can be supplemented with the history of Eau Claire industries. As
area business leaders depleted lumber resources heading into the 20
th
century, the city was forced
to turn to manufacturing. Gillete Rubber Company was one such business that moved into Eau Claire in 1917; it provided many jobs to unskilled laborers, though they had to deal with unsafe working conditions and poor wages. After several failed attempts and changes in ownership of the factory, the rubber workers successfully unionized in 1937 as a chapter of the United Rubber Workers of America under the name Local 19.
11
It was this unionized industrial climate that played a part in the success of Consumers Co-op in Eau Claire. Area industrial workers, union leaders, and Theisen often worked together to support each others’ values and goals for the Eau Claire community, in line with the overlap that Witherell suggests. MacPherson writes on a similar idea in his article, “The Cooperative Movement and the Social Economy Traditions: Reflections on the Mingling of Broad Visions.” He describes how the cooperative movement began to gain ground in the 20
th
century as people started to promote the social economy and the values surrounding it. The social economy is made up of values and connections shared by various organizations working together toward a particular community or societal goal, much like Theisen and the labor unions in Eau Claire worked together for fair, compassionate business practices. MacPherson discusses how many cooperative associations in the 20
th
century had to be careful about which types of movements they wanted to be involved 10
Rob Witherell, "An Emerging Solidarity: Worker Cooperatives, Unions, and the New Union Cooperative Model in the United States," International Journal of Labour Research
5, no. 2 (2013): 252, accessed December 16, 2018, JSTOR.
11
Andrew Clarke, Local 19: A Comparison of Eau Claire Unionizing of the Uniroyal Tire Facility
, Minds At UW, 2008, 6, accessed December 16, 2018, https://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/31763/Clarke.pdf?sequence=2
.
6
with, and how much they wanted to focus on economics versus pursue social activism.
12
Curl notes that cooperatives in the US after WWII suffered from being labeled as Communist in the age of McCarthyism. Many were also associated with communalism and the Counterculture Movement in the 1960s and 1970s, which attracted a significant population at the time, but also turned off many who thought the organizations were too radical.
13
Another important work of MacPherson’s that relates to the Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire is the chapter entitled, “‘What Is the End Purpose of It All?’: The Centrality of Values for Cooperative Success in the Marketplace,” that he contributed to the book, The Cooperative Business Movement, 1950 to the Present
. In this piece, MacPherson explains how cooperative values evolved historically, and argues that the values behind a cooperative organization are vital to its economic success. Curl also has an opinion on how values play into the success of a cooperative. To attract enough members to sustain the business, cooperatives
must use the appealing principles central to their organization: community, democracy, and fair consumer practices. Each should be important to individuals who want their local businesses to reflect the desires and needs of the community the business serves. Democratic and fair consumer practices facilitate this through open discussion and a more equitable relationship between patrons and leaders in deciding the direction of the business. Curl argues that often these values are overcome with the effort to expand and keep up with bigger chains; “Internally, the exigencies of running a grocery store often clashed with 12
Ian MacPherson, “The Co-Operative Movement And The Social Economy Traditions: Reflections On The Mingling Of Broad Visions,” Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics
79, no. 3-4 (2008): 631, doi:10.1111/j.1467-8292.2008.00373.x.
13
Curl, 237.
7
the commitment to democratic processes.”
14
Towards the end of the paper, this
idea will be directly applied to Theisen’s Consumers Cooperative and where the business now stands today.
The above perspectives of cooperative and labor scholars, when applied to the case of Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire, can help further illuminate scholarship on consumers cooperatives and community values. To accomplish this, it is important to look at the characteristics and values of Consumers Cooperative and the surrounding Eau Claire community, as well as the qualities and lifestyle of the man who ran the co-op successfully for nearly 40 years. The background information and motivations centered around consumer cooperatives and Ray Theisen’s career will then be juxtaposed with the pervasive mass consumer culture that sprang up in postwar America.
History of Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire
Consumer cooperatives “are businesses which belong to the people who use them…The
central principle of consumer cooperatives is member control and participation. These member/owners meet periodically to establish policy and elect directors,” then hire general managers to execute stated goals.
15
This business model is significantly different than one in which profit for
the company and those who have stock or ownership in it is the primary goal, regardless of what may result for the consumers involved. The success of a consumer cooperative still relies on making a profit, but rather than the profits going to the owners, the members of the cooperative get to decide what to do with the extra money. This is the democratic ideal commonly associated with consumer cooperatives; members may vote to put 14
Curl, 238.
15
“Consumer Cooperatives,” Consumer Federation of America, 2015, accessed November 09, 2018, https:// consumerfed.org/consumer-cooperatives/.
8
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the money back into the business for expansion or improvements, or they may pay dividends back to its members who support and own the business together. Theoretically, “Cooperatives are successful because they provide valuable services and save consumers money. Since the primary goal of cooperatives is to meet needs, not generate profits, they can save their members
at a low cost.”
16
Successful cooperatives are not always this straightforward, for example, the business may not be able to match their competitor’s initial costs, nor their final prices. Success
depends largely on a market willing to buy products from the cooperative, even if prices are potentially higher than those of competitors. If a cooperative can manage to sell quality products and services at the same prices as local competitors, the competition can also lower prices for everyone. The cooperative movement has had a place in the United States since the 1890s as immigrants from Scandinavian countries entered the country: “In Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Massachusetts the Finns and Swedes brought their cooperative philosophy with them.”
17
These immigrants primarily used producer co-ops, or organizations made up of farmers, manufacturers, or craftsmen, to keep production costs down and selling prices reasonable enough
to make a living. In 1916, the Cooperative League of the USA was founded to spread cooperatives throughout the nation; the American Federation of Labor and other unions were especially supportive of these efforts because of the similar ideals each group shared.
18
Cooperative values were also spread through education; according to a mid-20th century source: “Local school boards have authorized the expenditure of funds for the teaching of cooperation. 16
“Consumer Cooperatives,” Consumer Federation of America.
17
Gerald Richardson, ABC of Cooperatives: A Handbook for Consumers and Producers
, 1st ed. (New York: Longmans, Green and CO., 1940), 51.
18
Ibid., 55.
9
The state of Wisconsin by law requires the inclusion of cooperation in tax-supported schools.”
19
As producer cooperatives grew and various financial disasters impacted communities and the nation at large, some groups realized the value of using cooperatives for consumer purposes.
Once the Great Depression hit, the cooperative structure provided options for people in a time of major financial crisis; while the focus was on primarily New Deal programs and cooperatives for laborers and producers, consumer cooperatives played a part in stabilizing the economy at this time.
20
It was in this context that the Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau
Claire was founded in 1935 by a small group of Farmers Union and organized labor leaders. The annual reports of Consumers Co-op include multiple stories of how the cooperative was started; one such article from 1948 is entitled: “Neighbors Join Together: A Cooperative is Born”, and it explains that, “Some Believed — Some Doubted. Some remembered cooperatives from their experiences in and around Eau Claire before 1935; others read and talked about the idea that Co- ops do work and have been working. All felt the need: ‘Mutual effort for Mutual benefits.”
21
Whether these leaders felt pressure from the national economic crisis at the time, or a social need
to promote fair business practices, the Consumers Co-op venture began.
The Eau Claire Co-op was initially focused on gasoline and coal; the members’ first purchase as a business was a carload of coal on September 9, 1935.
22 This type of organization is
known as a buying club, in which a group buys a specific commodity in bulk together and sells
19
Richardson, 62.
20
Curl, 164.
21
Annual Co-op Report, 1948, Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire Annual Reports, 1948-
1976, McIntyre Library, Eau Claire, WI, 2. 22
Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, 16.
10
to the co-op members: “The cooperative buying club, like every other cooperative venture, is
designed to meet a definite problem. Its purpose is to save money for its members on the purchase of things they need…It is a means of eliminating the services and costs of unnecessary middlemen.”
23
The goal for the original cooperators in Eau Claire was to make the unit price of the
oil and gas cheaper for its members by buying in bulk and distributing the fuels to member families; this resulted in the formation of their own cooperative store. In a 1940 cooperative guide, the author recommended selling the units at market price, comparable to local stores, so that more savings were made to either redistribute to members at the end of the year, or preferably, reinvesting in the expansion of the buying club for greater future savings to members.
He argued that members were willing to pay the market price according to cooperative principles
and in the interest of long-term future savings over short-term benefits.
24
By May of 1936,
Consumers Co-op expanded
their coal yard, and the board
was able to open up a gas
station on the corner of
Wisconsin and Farwell St. in
Eau Claire.
25
This action was
based on the principles stated
above; because the members
voted to reinvest their profits and savings from the first year of business rather than distribute 23
Richardson, 113.
24
Richardson, 119-120.
25
Annual Co-op Report, 1948, 2. 11
Source: Jeff Theisen, Private Collection
Figure 2. Co-op Super Service station is opened at 501 Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire, WI, 1940
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profit dividends to members, the board already had the money to expand. “Volume for the first year was just over $30,000.00, the saving $1,619.16. These savings were ploughed back into the business; the need for expansion was already realized.”
26
It started with a handful of families benefiting from the coal purchases the first year and grew to 3,500 members by 1950.
27
Membership and sales steadily increased over the years. In
1961, Consumers Co-op had 5,927 members, and sold three and a half million dollars’ worth of merchandise
.
28
The 1976 annual report from the Consumers Co-op board reported 12,000
members and sales totaling approximately $20.5 million across 40 departments.
29
It was the first expansion in 1936 that led to Theisen’s employment with Consumers’ Co-op in 1938. In an interview in 1981, he spoke of his experiences from the first year working at the co-op gas station:
It was just a small service station with one pump and a coal yard, because 85 to 90 percent of the homes in Eau Claire were heated with coal then…that was a time when salaries were small, jobs were scarce and the country was struggling to come out of the Depression. About then, the federal minimum wage came in at 25 cents an hour. I made
$652 working here that first year. That’s where America was that first year.
30
After his first year employed by the cooperative, Theisen helped the company expand into other areas, rather than keep the business centered on gasoline and coal sales and trucking services to deliver coal directly to consumers’ homes. The Consumer Co-op Credit Union was founded in 1939, and Theisen served as the organization’s treasurer for the rest of his life.
31
Credit unions 26
Annual Co-op Report,1948, 2.
27
Annual Co-op Report, 1950, 3.
28
Annual Co-op Report, 1961.
29
Annual Co-op Report, 1976, 4.
30
Nancy Conner, “Co-op Leader Believes in Consumer Control,” newspaper clipping from unidentified newspaper, in Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook.
31
Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, 16.
12
were not unique to Wisconsin at this time, in fact they were increasingly common by the 1940s, with 51,000 members across all credit unions and a total of $20 million in assets.
32
By 1946, Wisconsin had 521 credit unions.
33
The Consumer Co-op Credit Union was established in Eau Claire as their popularity grew across the state; Theisen knew it was yet another valuable service that the Co-op could provide for the community.
As the cooperative continued to
succeed and expand its services to
members, it also helped facilitate growth in
membership, as members were attracted to
the wide variety of products. In 1946, the
Consumers Co-op purchased a coal yard,
equipment- including four trucks,
inventory, and a bulk plant for storage of
gasoline and petroleum.
34
In 1947, the Co-
op
board purchased eight and a half acres
of property “for future development of the facilities their
members would need…Located at the East side of Eau Claire Highway 53.”
35
This eventually
became the site of the Co-op’s headquarters and major shopping center, and included dozens of departments, such as 32
"History of Credit Unions," The Wisconsin Credit Union League, , accessed December 16, 2018, https://www.theleague.coop/consumer-info/history-of-credit-unions
.
33
United States, Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumers' Cooperatives and Credit Unions: Operations in 1946
, by Florence Parker (Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948), 15, accessed December 16, 2018, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/4361
.
34
Annual Co-op Report, 1948, 7.
35
Annual Co-op Report, 1948, 11.
13
Source: Jeff Theisen, Private Collection
Figure 3. Co-op Food Store downtown Eau Claire, WI, ca. 1940
grocery; dry goods and shoes; hardware, housework, plumbing; appliance; and sewing machine division. Through a series of expansions, Consumers Co-op also had departments for furniture and flooring, a pharmacy, and a cafeteria, as well as the city’s first escalator.
36
Other departments with different locations included bulk petroleum, fuels, oils, and
gasolines,
37
and five service stations by 1976.
38
The cooperative also bought stores in Rice Lake, Bloomer, Menomonie, and Mondovi in 1977. Though he was already general manager of the Co-op and treasurer of Consumer Credit Union, Theisen took on even more responsibility as founder and president of Group Health Cooperative, yet another branch rooted in Consumers Co-op of Eau Claire. When Theisen retired
in 1981, annual sales from the previous year hit $39 million, and there were 17,000 members invested in the success of the co-op.
39
In researching Consumers Co-op, the only specific membership cost that could be found was a five-dollar due payment in 1956.
40
It is reasonable to assume the cost changed with time. The dues were part of the investment necessary to become a partial owner of the business and have a say in the direction of the cooperative, but as explained earlier, more investment did not mean a greater part in ownership or decision-making. While the Co-op board and members still had to vote on how to spend the business’ profits, Theisen played a key part in recommending plans and expansions for the cooperative as
general manager, as well as in the recruitment of new members. His general manager 36
Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, 17. 37
Annual Co-op Report, 1953, 8-10.
38
Annual Co-op Report, 1976, 7.
39
Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, 17.
40
“CO-OP News and Views,” 1956.
14
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statements in the annual reports each year were a sort of call to arms for the sake of transparent business practices: For 40 years Consumers Co-op has demonstrated year after year that it is trustworthy in
its programs and advertising as well as in being honest in competitive programs of all kinds…
As each year unfolds before us, we see new faces replacing those who have died or moved away. Co-op is no longer an experiment — it’s a reality and our thousands of families know it well.
41
In each report, his conviction that cooperatives were the answer for many social and economic ills shines through very clearly, as well as his encouragement for more and more community members to get involved.
Theisen’s leadership and the cooperative itself was awarded several times, both locally and nationally. In 1968, representatives from 11 federal government agencies and ten national cooperative groups chose “Cooperatives as Community-Builders” as the theme to celebrate “National Co-op Month”, and Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire was honored as a model cooperative across the nation. Theisen received many letters from national leaders commending him for his work in Eau Claire; one manager of a cooperative in Missouri wrote:
We were delighted to hear that the Eau Claire Cooperative has been selected for a special observance during ‘Co-op Month’. It is our feeling that this is a wise selection as
we know of no cooperative which better typifies the theme ‘Consumer Cooperatives are Community Builders’. We have long admired Eau Claire’s operations. Your progress is a
tribute to your leadership and to the leadership of your board.
42
The Co-op was again honored in 1976 by the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce in a “Salute to Industry. An article from the annual report in 1976 also boasted of being featured in stories in the
Minneapolis Tribune and the Midland Cooperator
.
43
41
Annual Co-op Report, 1976, 4. 42
Robert Morrow to Ray Theisen, October 16, 1968, included in “Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire First in Nation,” Eau Claire Leader
, October 29, 1968, accessed November 1, 2018, Access Newspaper Archive.
43
Annual Co-op Report, 1976, 12.
15
In 1981, Theisen went to Washington D.C. for the Cooperative League of the USA national convention where he was “awarded the Cooperative Statesmanship Award for his outstanding contributions to cooperatives. This award is the highest national honor given by the
13 national cooperative organizations…”
44
Theisen was again recognized posthumously in 2016
when he was inducted into the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame. Board of Directors President Donald Sydejko said the following of Theisen regarding his induction: “The City of Eau Claire has been very fortunate to have individuals who have taken the time to improve our community. Ray Theisen had the vision and the commitment to make Eau Claire a place one could be proud to call home.”
45
These awards distinguished Consumers
Co-op from other organizations nationally, as well as Theisen for his foresight and leadership skills. By extension, the whole Eau Claire community was implicitly recognized as a
unique place that was particularly receptive to the expansion of cooperative values, or at least to Theisen’s charisma and leadership.
Ray Theisen’s Life
44
“Ray J. Theisen – Cooperative Statesman,” Leader-Telegram
(Eau Claire, WI), October 14, 1981, accessed November 1, 2018, Access Newspaper Archive.
45
Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, 20. 16
Raymond John Theisen was born in Loyal, Wisconsin to William Theisen, a second- generation German immigrant, and his wife Mae,
46
on November 24, 1919.
47
William and Mae were married June 14, 1910 in their hometown, Reif’s Mills, Manitowoc County, WI; Ray was the fourth eldest of the ten children they had total. Ray’s father worked as an accountant for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad in Milwaukee before leaving the company in 1920 to run a hardware store in Loyal, WI with his brother. As of 1960, William was still operating his hardware store in Loyal.
48
William’s experience in managing a business likely influenced his son Ray’s decision to enroll at the Eau Claire Business College after graduating from Loyal High School in 1937. Once Theisen finished his yearlong program, he was hired by the newly formed Consumers Co-
op of Eau Claire as a bookkeeper and coal-hauler for $15 dollars a week.
49
After a few short years
working for the cooperative, the board promoted Theisen to general manager in 1941, when he was only 22 years old.
Theisen also met and married Dorothy Hauptmann in 1941. Dorothy was born to August and Frances Hauptmann, both second-generation German immigrants, and raised in Eau Claire.
50
While Theisen’s service to Eau Claire as general
manager for Consumers Co-op is his crowning contribution to
his family, the Chippewa Valley, and the national cooperative
46
1930 U.S. Census, Clark County, Wisconsin, population schedule, Loyal Village, family 98, Raymond Theisen; digital image, Ancestry.com, accessed November 8, 2018, http://ancestry.com
.
47
Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, 16.
48
“Theisen, Mr. and Mrs. William (Golden - 1960),” Clark County, Wisconsin History Buffs, accessed October 21, 2018, http://www.wiclarkcountyhistory.org/3data/68/68458.htm
.
49
Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, 16.
50
1930 U.S. Census, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, population schedule, Eau Claire, family 482, Dorothy Hauptmann; digital image, Ancestry.com, accessed November 8, 2018, http://ancestry.com
.
17
Source: Jeff Theisen, Private Collection
Figure 4. Ray Theisen’s Army Air Force enlistment photo, Milwaukee, WI, 1942
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community more broadly, he found other significant ways to serve his hometown as well. Theisen stepped down from his position with the Co-op within a year and enlisted in
Milwaukee
in the fall of 1942.
51
Theisen’s military service is an important break from his work with the cooperative; the letters he wrote while away from his family provides insight into his personality and motivations, as well as display some of the leadership and organization skills he needed to succeed later with the Co-op. All of his letters included some expression of love and appreciation for his parents and siblings, and his own wife and young son, Joseph, or Joe-Joe; many also included his hopes for the war and plans once he was discharged.
In a letter sent to his parents in Loyal on November 4, 1942, Ray explained his training in
the Army Air Force at Fort Logan, Colorado:
I’m taking Engineers and Operations in school…I’m studying advance typing, military publications, correspondence, and Operations Orders. This course will fit me into an air station office or radio room and my job will be to take care of Correspondence there, operation orders for all flights and all pilots reports…As far as possibilities of going into flying, it’s out. I absolutely will not fly. I refuse to. The good old terra cotta [firma] is fine for me. Give me some good old real estate to stand on and they can have their planes.
52
Theisen wanted to serve his country while staying safe for the sake of his family as well, which
is why he wanted to make himself useful for the logistics of Army Air Force Operations rather than carrying them out himself: “School is coming fine…As long as I'm here I might as well get all I can…Good grades will mean a lot if I apply for O.C.S. and also it is possible to be sent
onto an advance Technician school. Anything – I say, to stay in this country.”
53
51
US World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, Raymond Theisen; Ancestry.com, accessed November 8, 2018, http://ancestry.com
.
52
Ray Theisen to parents in Loyal, Wisconsin, November 4, 1942; privately held by Theisen family, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
53
Ray Theisen to family, November 18, 1942.
18
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At this point in Theisen’s military service, he had not yet met his son, Joe, who was born
October 18, 1942 while he was at Fort Logan for training. It was not until April of 1943 that he was finally able to get a furlough long enough to visit Dorothy and meet Joe for the first time. “You can not imagine how happy I am for having this chance to come home. In fact I am thankful. To see Dee and my boy - my words cannot express my feelings.”
54
Many of Theisen’s letters include a strict accounting of his pay from the US government and his expenses as well, a sign that he kept his bookkeeping skills sharp while in the military. These explanations of his finances also show that he was making more money in the military than in his early days at the co-op. In September of 1943, Theisen wrote of an upcoming promotion to staff/sergeant which would increase his pay to about $134 a month, $96 for his own
wages, and $37.50 for his family to live on. His pay also increased by 20% once he was sent overseas; with this extra money, he was able to send $100 each month to his wife to put towards their savings.
55
Initially, he made less but still shrewdly saved as much as he could: “Last month
I sent home $10.00 out of my $18.00 and she saved $10.00 from her so we socked away $20… Dorth gets a kick out of it too and when this is over I'm sure every dollar we may have will come to good use.”
56
Despite the extra income and his voluntary enlistment, Theisen often expressed how much he missed his family and longed to be home with them again:
From time to time as I think back to what you said about the fellows in the Armed Forces being better off than civilians. You're right in one way as far as food, clothing, shelter - but for the comforts of life they lack everything. This life fits some individuals, but I'd say very few. There are 50 fellows in our platoon – 49 were 54
Ray Theisen to family, April 4, 1943. 55
Ray Theisen to family, September 18, 1943. 56
Ray Theisen to family, February 24, 1943.
19
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drafted and would like to get out just as soon as possible. The other fellow enlisted and is sorry he did.
57
With comments such as this, Theisen would then often mitigate them with hopes of the future, thinking of his plans once he was discharged from the military. He also kept up with members of Consumers Co-op during his time in the war: “I read letters from the fellows and the Co-op and it surely looks like my job is open for me when I get out of this term. It makes me feel good in one way.”
58
This last comment expressed his relief in having a job waiting for him after the war, but it also showed his sense of hesitation that can be explained by later comments: “This war cannot last forever and with God’s help I’ll be back at our home and perhaps some kind of
business will be mine later on.”
59
He again commented on his standing with the co-op on October 18
,
1943 before being sent overseas:
Hard telling Dad just how long this war will last but I still hope to get together with Billy some day on some small business somewhere. I read an encouraging letter from one of the Co-op Board Members who assured me again the job was open - but if I even did take it, it would only be a temporary setup until I had sufficient savings to quit and start myself.
Yet another letter expressed Theisen’s hesitation to commit long-term to Consumers Co-op upon his return: “Received a letter from Glen Thompson in Midland Co-op this week. He is looking forward to my returning to E.C. to take over too so maybe it will be best - time will tell.
Only for a while though I hope. Dad and I do hope to go into private business later on - if the situation looks suitable.”
60
57
Ray Theisen to family, December 15, 1942. 58
Ray Theisen to family, November 28, 1942.
59
Ray Theisen to family, September 18, 1943.
60
Ray Theisen to family, May 13, 1944.
20
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Theisen’s letters to his family during his military service span from November 1942 during his first months of training, to his stationing across China and Kanchrapara, India; the letters conclude with his return home to Eau Claire in the fall of 1945. The letters saved by his family are primarily focused on his time at various forts in the US during his training, with a large gap in his actual overseas service in Southern China. In one of his final letters from his time at war, he notified his family of his long-awaited return home, which he hoped would be in time for Thanksgiving celebrations: “Tonight my Rosary will be in Thanksgiving again. I thank God for the assignment He gave me - the men He gave me to supervise and work with - for sparing my life - and soon for hastening my return to my loved ones.”
61
Upon Theisen’s discharge from the military, he did in fact return to a struggling Consumers Co-op as general manager, but he never left to start his own private business as he mentioned in his letters throughout the war. Instead, Theisen “fired all six employees on Jan. 2, 1946, and literally started all over.”
62
It is unclear why the cooperative was struggling at this time; there are no Co-op records available from the time of WWII, but Theisen’s decision to fire
all the employees indicates a serious issue with management. The board members that wrote to Theisen throughout the war assured him that his position would be available once he returned, so it may be that they never hired a full-time manager to replace him, or that they had a poor temporary manager. Regardless, Theisen was known for his shrewdness in business, and he was willing to take drastic measures if he thought it was best for the Co-op. “Like all human beings in the hard world of business, he had to come down at times with the iron fist.”
63
61
Ray Theisen to family, September 26, 1944.
62
Bill Gharrity, “Ray Theisen: ‘Mr. Co-op’ to Retire,” Leader-Telegram
(Eau Claire, WI), September 12, 1981, accessed November 1, 2018, Access Newspaper Archive.
63
Ray Theisen eulogy, Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook
21
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From his return from the military until his retirement on November 14, 1981, the Co-op never lost money.
64
Theisen spent his career with the organization expanding the Co-op into many different
branches and departments, as well as building a stronger cooperative community in Eau Claire. Theisen’s plans to go into business for himself changed as his commitment to the cooperative movement strengthened. As he stated in an interview right before his retirement, “I chose co-op management out of conviction, not convenience.”
65
In another interview, he was quoted saying, “I
believed in the cooperative movement…I believe in the consumer having some control, rather than being bounced around in the marketplace.”
66
He even planned on spreading the movement by teaching cooperative management overseas and consulting with struggling co-ops after his retirement, though he was not able to do so before his death in 1983.
67
Theisen’s convictions were again expressed in the messages within the annual reports published by the Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire for its members. In a statement headed by the quote by David Burnham, “Make no small plans, for they have not the power to move men’s hearts”, Theisen wrote the following of his own big plans for the Co-op:
Our Co-op is essentially a big idea, both here in Eau Claire and in our country - but particularly here in Eau Claire where we have been working on this grand plan for five years now. Our plan here in Eau Claire has sweep and power and a very deep significance in it. It is an idea that a man, any of us, can grasp and feel that he has hold of
a solid substance - a hold on something far more important than the day to day sales of 64
Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, 17.
65
Patricia Miller, “Theisen Lives, Breathes Cooperatives for 40 Years,” newspaper clipping from unidentified newspaper, in Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook.
66
Conner, Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook.
67
Miller, Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook.
22
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our Co-op, far more important than buildings and brick and mortar.
68
Many of his annual reports included messages about the Co-op being “a big idea,” but this excerpt is perhaps one of Theisen’s most eloquent statements. The passion he had for cooperative businesses and what they stood for, namely economic democracy, fairness, and shared responsibility, is clear. With the expansions of the Co-op, he wanted to expand the ideology behind the Co-op as well. The Cooperative’s success was not about profits and physical expansions for Theisen, rather it was about changing the hearts and minds of the members of his community in an effort to make Eau Claire a more equitable, welcoming place.
Theisen was also heavily involved with other community-oriented groups in Eau Claire, aside from the Co-op. He served as president of the Wisconsin State University-Eau Claire Foundation, an organization founded to allocate donations to the university and its underfunded programs. Theisen was also president of Regis High School Board, president of the Immaculate Conception Parish council, treasurer of Consumers Co-op Credit Union, and president of Group Health Cooperative, to name only a few. Theisen was praised as a major factor in the initial success of Group Health Cooperative by following leaders:
His resourcefulness and background in the financial business world was a tremendous asset to Group Health in the early years. Ray personally knew the key leaders of so many organizations (both locally and nationally) that options were available to Group Health that did not exist for other beginning HMOs in the country. Ray J. Theisen’s name and support gave the project credibility in the early years.
69
Other organizations he was involved with as a member and/or leader include: The University of
Wisconsin Hospital Review Board, Boy Scouts, National Multiple Sclerosis Society Chippewa 68
Annual Co-op Report, 1950, 11.
69
Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire, “The Inside Story,” article clipping from unidentified source, in Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook.
23
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Valley Chapter, Eau Claire City Council, and the Sacred Heart Hospital Advisory Board.
70
Theisen juggled these involvements with his management of Consumers Co-op, as well as helped raise his family of five children with Dorothy: Joseph, James, Rose, Donna, and Jerome.
71
As mentioned above, Theisen intended to go abroad after his retirement to teach cooperative business strategies and values. Before doing so, he wanted to take a break between:
“I’m not going into any new fields right away. I’m going to take a year off to travel and relax and maybe do some writing. I won’t be sitting still, though.”
72
Unfortunately, Theisen died suddenly
at the age of 63 due to a heart attack on January 20, 1983, just a year or so following his full-time
retirement.
73
The national cooperative community, and particularly his own Eau Claire
community, together mourned the loss of a man passionate about helping people. One article announcing his death states: “it would be inadequate to say on the eve of his funeral only
that Ray Theisen spent his life in Eau Claire. It would be more accurate to report that Ray Theisen spent his life for an ideal and his fellow man. It was well spent.”
74
An op-ed from a friend of
Theisen’s, Father Bernard McGarty, summed up the community’s reaction to his death
in a few sentences: “Accolades for Ray Theisen in the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram following his sudden death were profuse and unprecedented. Ray was praised editorially for his civic-
70
Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, 17.
71
“Dorothy Theisen,” Leader-Telegram
, May 01, 2012, accessed November 8, 2018, https://www.leadertelegram.com/obituaries/dorothy-theisen/article_92b1ba31-82ba-59b2-832d-01e743f86c9b.html
.
72
Miller, Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook.
73
Group Health Cooperative, Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook.
74
“Ray Theisen Knew Values,” newspaper clipping from unidentified newspaper, in Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook. 24
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mindedness, business acumen, humanitarian and religious qualities. Rarely has the life of a private citizen touched so many hearts.”
75
Consumer Cooperatives in the Age of Postwar Consumerism
Even as fighting was still raging in World War II, American business leaders and advertisers were preparing for a return to prosperity: “In the absence of any belligerencies taking place directly on American soil, business men from New York to Los Angeles were envisioning a brave new world for the mass production and sales of both innovative and traditional products.”
76
Consumers in the US were also more than ready to leave their years of rationing and shortages behind. Once the war ended, consumption spending skyrocketed. “While the total United States personal consumption expenditures for 1940 were $72 billion, by
1947 annual consumer spending had more than doubled to $166 billion”; personal consumption
spending continued to increase
each year by eight percent on average from 1946 to the mid-
1950s.
77
Advertising facilitated mass consumerism; “Public relations executive Alan Bennett suggested in 1945 that proper investigation into the ‘framework of thinking’ taking place within
the psyche of the consuming public would allow businesses to be able to ‘see into the minds’ of consumers of every ‘sex, age, income bracket, occupational group, educational level, and social
standing.’”
78
75
McGarty, Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook.
76
Victor J. Viser, "Winning the Peace: American Planning for a Profitable Post-War World," Journal of American Studies
35, no. 01 (2001): 115, accessed October 25, 2018, doi:10.1017/s0021875801006557.
77
Ibid., 118.
78
Viser, 120.
25
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Consumer cooperatives stood in sharp contrast to Bennett’s idea that companies should exploit the demographics and desires of customers through manipulative advertising in
order to achieve the highest profits. Consumers Co-op prided itself on straightforward advertising on prices and products. As Theisen wrote in 1976, “For 40 years Consumers Co-
op has demonstrated year after year that it is trustworthy in its programs and advertising as well as in being honest in competitive programs of all kinds.”
79
Consumer cooperatives took on an even
stronger role in consumer protection during this era, and most are centered around this idea still today. “Within the consumer movement, consumer co-ops occupy a vanguard
role due to their financial resources, large membership base, and democratic management.”
80
The cooperative idea that members control the profits as partial owners was also a very
democratic one that contradicted mainstream consumerism. Historically in the US, most major
private corporations have been run by stockholders, and those with the biggest share in the company make the decisions. In contrast, no one in a consumer cooperative has more than one
vote, nor can they vote through proxies or representatives. “This insures that decisions will be made in a democratic way. It means that one member cannot gather the proxies or votes of
absent members and then wield the power of voting the proxies against the votes of the members
present.”
81
The ability of the members of Consumers’ Co-op to control profits and plans for the
business was central to the cooperative idea in Eau Claire. It was also more appealing to these members than patronizing other businesses run solely on increasing profit margins. 79
Annual Co-op Report, 1976, 4. 80
Robert Sommer, "Consciences in the Marketplace: The Role of Cooperatives in Consumer Protection," Journal of Social Issues
47, no. 1 (1991): 455-456, accessed October 25, 2018, doi:10.1111/j.1540-
4560.1991.tb01816.x.
81
Richardson, 119. 26
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The following is an excerpt from labor negotiation papers from Harold House, a field man for Consumers Co-op who also worked to advance union interests:
…it is important to point out how American industry has refused to cut profit margins. Traditionally, American industry has boasted of its ability to make more and more goods
and sell them at lower and lower prices. But in recent years, the practice of American industry has veered sharply from this theory…With profit margins growing bigger and bigger, there was a golden opportunity to help raise standards of living for all by lowering prices. We all know how far from this course was the action taken by industry. The past three years have seen industry after industry push their prices to unprecedented levels instead of the desired goal of more goods at lower prices per unit...
82
According to a cooperative educational pamphlet found in Harold House’s collection, the following key co-op values “point towards a better life and a finer world”; they include: “fair practices in religion and politics - everyone can join - one vote per member - limited interest on investment - cash sales at market price - dividends and refunds based on purchases - continuous expansion - constant education.”
83
These qualities were the main selling points used
to educate and attract new members to cooperatives in direct opposition to a profit-driven society; the Eau Claire Co-op was also able to use these principles to grow membership, support, and democratic
values in the community.
Eau Claire was a particularly receptive community for the expansion of cooperative values because of the strength of unions in the area, as explained earlier. House was a major union leader for the United Rubber Workers of America Local 19 chapter and worked closely with Theisen and the Co-op to advance similar, overlapping interests. One Eau Claire newspaper article explains the connection through a series of resolutions passed at the 66
th
Convention of the American Federation of Labor in San Francisco in 1947: 82
Harold House personal and business papers, ca. 1938-1950, “Wage and Welfare Brief, Firestone Tire and Rubber company negotiations, August 1949”; Harold E. House Papers Collection, McIntyre Library, Eau Claire,
Wisconsin.
83
Harold E. House Papers, “Take a Look at Consumer Cooperatives.” 27
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The consumer cooperative movement is an effective weapon in the fight to increase the purchasing power of workers’ wages, and it is a growing defense against monopoly and depression. Furthermore, cooperatives provide a field for common action in which wage and salary workers, farmers, and other groups unite to advance their mutual welfare…We
reiterate our support for the consumer cooperative movement, as a supplement to the trade union movement in defending the interests of the consumers in our national economy…
84
The relationship between local labor unions, particularly Local 19, and Consumers Co-
op was mutually beneficial. The Co-op provided an outlet for economic and community action for union members and leaders. They were able to make a political statement through the financial support of a business that shared their same values, with the hopes of spreading those values further throughout the community. At the same time, the Co-op needed their financial support and patronage to succeed and expand. Without the strong base of union members in Eau
Claire, it is very unlikely that Consumers Cooperative and Theisen would have been so successful in the area. In fact, it is probable that the eventual decline of the Co-op in the 1990s into the 21
st
century is linked to the closing of the Uniroyal tire plant, what was once the Gillete Rubber Company that inspired unionizing attempts in 1937.
85
As industrial manufacturing died down in Eau Claire, the need for labor unions decreased and the Cooperative lost its biggest base of financial and ideological support.
Eau Claire’s connection to labor unions also likely helped minimize the potential fear community members may have had regarding consumer cooperatives and its potential relevance
to communism. Across the postwar nation, some cooperatives faced opposition because of their communal nature. They were controversial organizations at a time when much of the US feared communism more than anything else. Many organizations were criticized by non-member 84
Lawrence Wahlstrom, “Endorsement of Co-operatives by Labor Groups,”
Eau Claire Daily Telegram
, April 24, 1956, accessed December 16, 2018, Access Newspaper Archive.
85
Jesse Horne, "The Plant Closing: 25 Years Later," WEAU News
, June 14, 2017, accessed December 16, 2018, https://www.weau.com/content/news/The-Plant-Closing-25-Years-Later-428521933.html.
28
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citizens and business leaders. An article from a Minnesota newspaper in 1936 “labeled the cooperative movement ‘communistic’ and claimed that it was linked to the Soviet Union.” In response, the manager of a large Midwestern co-op stated that the “cooperative movement did not encourage Soviet-style communism, but rather sought to ‘eliminate the private profit system
. . . and strengthen the essential features of a democratic form of government.”
86
Some cooperatives did develop out of
radical social movements and were closely tied with socialist groups, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s.
87
Consumers Co-op was not one of these organizations; rather, its leaders focused on
promoting democratic, protective values within the business, and kept away from radical political affiliations that would turn off potential new members. Union members and leaders experienced similar attacks regarding communism. As a community with a large population of union members, Eau Claire did not have trouble continuing to support the Co-op, even throughout the Cold War and the Red Scare.
As it grew, Consumers Co-op faced more ideological danger from capitalism than socialism; there was the possibility of using business strategies that valued profits over its original principles. “Cooperative growth poses challenges to cooperative democratic ideals, and consumer cooperation can all too easily slide into a sole desire for lowered prices, neglecting the importance of producers practicing democracy in the workplace.”
88
This is not to
say that the Co-op forgot its roots; it’s simply
important to point out that as the organization expanded in Eau Claire, the balance between good business
practices and democratic participation became more
86
Nick Stewart-Bloch, “From Cooperative Commonwealth to Yardstick Capitalism,” Minnesota History
66, no. 1 (Spring 2018): 11, accessed October 25, 2018, JSTOR.
87
Curl, 7.
88
Stewart-Bloch, 17.
29
Figure 5. Ray Theisen addresses board members at annual Co-op meeting, Eau Claire, WI, ca. 1965
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difficult to achieve. “To the degree that a cooperative becomes more like a commercial enterprise, it loses its distinctive appeal to its
members; to the degree that it forgoes sound economic practices, it cannot survive in the marketplace.”
89
As manager of Consumers Cooperative, it was Theisen’s job to find this balance. While the business still expanded regularly as new members joined, members participated in these expansionary decisions through elections of board members
to achieve manageable growth. One annual report explained
this in 1976: “Representing each of you, the board hires a Co-
op manager and works with him on all business and policy
matters. The board of the Co-op is nine members, each
elected by you at the annual meeting to serve three-year
terms.”
90
The
Co-op also maintained its commitment to
community welfare throughout these expansions. Its main
shopping center was a popular venue for bake sales in support
of community groups and churches. One state-wide group
known as “Helping Hands” had a permanent stall in the store where elderly and handicapped craftsmen could sell their products to shoppers. Helping Hands was yet another organization in which Theisen held a leadership position as a boardmember.
91
Education was also a vital part of the cooperative’s mission to better the community. As Theisen wrote in 1961:
89
Sommer, 138.
90
Annual Report, 1976, 3.
91
Annual Co-op Report, 1976, 5. 30
Source: Jeff Theisen, Private Collection
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It is a time for looking forward to the challenges of the future which we can mold, if we will. This is no time to expect sudden miracles in development, rather it is a time to soberly realize that true cooperation comes from the people’s understanding or it does not
exist at all. Building that understanding is a slow task…At times it is a painful one but it is necessary to the survival of the very institutions on which our nation is built and the very institutions on which our community is built; and it is a right task, an eternally right task for the times in which we live.
92
The effort to educate members and prospective members, as well as to include the community in as many facets of the cooperative’s business plan as possible all contributed to its success from 1935 to the 1980s. Union leaders and members in the Eau Claire area also provided a vital
base of support for the Cooperative that helped Theisen become particularly successful with his “big idea.” As the manager and visionary behind many of these programs essential to the Co-
op’s financial and ideological success, Theisen played a key part in setting Consumers Co-op apart from the competition in a time of mass consumption and profiteering in the US.
The Legacy of Consumers Co-op Today
After Theisen’s retirement, and with the decline in heavy industry and labor unions in Eau Claire, Consumers Co-op downsized significantly and returned to its main commodities, food and gas. The grocery stores were known to the Eau Claire community as Mega, and the gas stations as Mega! Holiday stations. In 2016, Consumers Cooperative Association sold its grocery
division after a brand-new store off Hastings Way in Eau Claire failed. Today there are still dozens of Mega! Holiday stations operating in the Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls area supported
by over 30,000 members, each paying $100 in dues and spending at least $500 annually to maintain membership.
93
Consumers Co-op lives on through Citizens Community Federal Bank, 92
Annual Co-op Report, 1961.
93
“CO-OP History,” Mega Co-op, accessed November 15, 2018, https://www.megacoop.com/member-
information/co-op-history/
.
31
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which acquired Consumers Credit Union in 2005.
94
Group
Health Cooperative also still exists, and perhaps best maintains Consumers Cooperative’s founding principles: “A community-based non-profit health plan, the Cooperative is serving more than 70,000 members in Western and Central Wisconsin,” with the stated purpose to “optimize the health of our members through the Cooperative’s pooling of health-related resources.”
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Cooperative businesses and organizations in the Chippewa Valley have had a significant
impact on the area’s economy, as well as the development of its community values. The career of Raymond J. Theisen, as long-time manager of Consumers Co-op, one of the area’s most successful cooperative associations, provides a compelling example of how cooperative movements and values work to strengthen communities and promote democracy. With Theisen’s influence over numerous businesses and organizations throughout the Eau Claire area, and with his connection to major area labor leaders, he was able to enhance these values of community, democracy, and shared responsibility from the conclusion of World War II up to his death in 1983.
No matter how much Consumers Co-op grew over the years, its consistent commitment to the original cooperative values of strong democratic participation and community-oriented business strategies under Theisen’s leadership is clear. As one of his employees stated: “Ray was one of the most intense men I have ever had the privilege of knowing. He did not believe in
ducking hard issues or complex problems, but rather, his approach was to hit them head on and work towards a lasting solution.”
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His drive and charisma within the community were essential
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“About CCFBank,” Citizens Community Federal, accessed November 15, 2018, https://www.ccf.us/about-us/about-ccfbank.html
.
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“Our Purpose,” Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire, accessed November 15, 2018, https://www.group-health.com/About.aspx.
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Group Health Cooperative, Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook.
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to the respect and success Consumers Co-op eventually achieved. Theisen’s tightly-held convictions coupled with his ability to manage a successful business model allowed the co-op to expand its services and principles to the people of Eau Claire and beyond.
Ironically, if Ray Theisen were to sit down and read this paper today, he’d probably hate
it. Based on his life of service to the Eau Claire community and the United States military, and the accounts of numerous friends and family members, Theisen was a very humble, ordinary man. He would not want to be glorified as a visionary or credited with the successes of Consumers Cooperative. Theisen led his life as a servant to his family, his community, and most importantly to him, his Creator. The closing statements of his eulogy sum up Theisen’s life, values, and career most aptly:
You friends, let us carry on the pattern of work that Ray struggled so hard to set. He worked to lift man to a higher level. Like Ray, always remember to put the human heart
and the human needs of the workers and of the consumers above the dollar bill. Let us never forget his ideals…that every man is God’s Child and must be treated with the dignity of a member in God’s Family.
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Works Cited
Primary Sources:
Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire Annual Reports, 1948-1976 Collection. McIntyre Library, Eau Claire, WI.
“Dorothy Theisen.” Leader-Telegram
. May 01, 2012. Accessed November 8, 2018. https://www.leadertelegram.com/obituaries/dorothy-theisen/article_92b1ba31-82ba-
59b2-832d-01e743f86c9b.html.
Harold E. House Papers, 1938-1950. McIntyre Library, Eau Claire, WI. 97
Ray Theisen eulogy, Jeff Theisen Digital Scrapbook. 33
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Richardson, Gerald. ABC of Cooperatives: A Handbook for Consumers and Producers
. 1st ed. New York: Longmans, Green and CO., 1940.
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