Business
acumen
Former
businessman Muster
has long history in area
Many
remember Musters Fruit Market
or even worked for him
By
Ruth Wright
Staff Writer
MADISON, Ind. (September 2004) Don Musters
home sits on the top of a hill about six miles north of Hanover in Lexington,
Ind. Nearby are a barn, silo and field, where Bandit, Musters
24-year-old horse, grazes peacefully.
|
Photo
by Ruth Wright
Don
Muster poses
with his horse, Bandit,
at his farm.
|
Many who have lived in Madison for some time might recognize
Musters name. His produce business, Musters Fruit Market,
was a staple here for nearly three decades.
Muster, 85, was born in Dupont, Ind., where he lived until 1937 when
his family moved to Madison. His father, Hugh Muster, was an astute
entrepreneur. After operating a general store in Dupont for several
years, he parlayed his knowledge of livestock trade into a full-fledged
auction business.
In 1935 he opened a sale barn in downtown Madison where now sits the
American Legion. Auctions were held every Saturday, and hundreds came
to buy and sell livestock, their vehicles lining Jefferson Street until
there was hardly a parking space left in sight, Don Muster recalled.
Madison, in those days, was a farming town, he said.
During the 40s and 50s Hugh Muster grew his business to
include two additional barns in Vincennes, Ind., and Christmas, Fla.
He eventually moved his Madison auction to the west end of town in a
building near the former Madison Country Club.
In addition to learning from his father all about livestock and trading,
Don Muster was also at heart an entrepreneur. In 1946, he opened, with
younger brother, Tunis, Muster Bros. Fruits and Vegetables. The first
store was located on Second Street across from what is now JayC Food
Store. Tunis Muster eventually quit the business, leaving his older
brother to build a name that was soon well-respected in the area.
Muster moved his fruit and produce market a couple of times but always
stayed on Jefferson Street. Family members, including sister, Francis,
often helped out. Muster also hired young people from the community
to work in his store.
J. D. Skeeter Long of Milton, Ky., recalled working for
Muster when he was 18 years old, unloading seed potatoes, which Muster
bought by the train car load, and taking care of the store. At
the end of the week, if we had a good week, he would always give us
a bonus, said Long, who worked for Muster for a little more than
a year. He was an extraordinary guy.
Trimble County native Dave Burkhardt also worked for Muster, beginning
in 1959 after he returned home from the U.S. Army. He expected
stuff done, and it got done, recalled Burkhardt, who worked nine
years for Muster. I learned to be particular with everything thats
done and to get the best to sell to customers, Burkhardt said.
Madisons Mary Jane Hillard, who went to work for Muster in 1969,
said Muster and wife, Joan, were like a second family to her. Don
and his wife both were wonderful to work for, Hillard said. Hes
a wonderful man, and she was a wonderful woman.
Hillard has worked off and on for Muster for the past 35 years and still
does his bookkeeping.
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Photo
provided
Don
and the late Joan Muster are
pictured in this 1946 photo in front of
Muster Bros. Fruit Market in Madison.
|
In the early days of his market, before he had a fleet
of young people at his command, it was feast or famine, Muster recalled.
When his produce truck needed a new bed and money was short, he was
forced to sell at auction his favorite riding horse, a mare named Jodie.
A picture of the animal now hangs Musters dining room.
Horses have always been a big part of Musters life. Beginning
in 1939, before the Regatta became Madisons trademark event, Hugh
Musters rodeo brought people to town. Bronco and bull riding and
horse, pony and mule races attracted them in droves to the Muster family
farm, where Don Muster helped his father run the show. After setting
up for the rodeo, he ran the ticket counter, announced the events and
even participated in a few.
Talk about being Jack of all trades, Muster said, I
had to move in those days.
A stubborn horse which, according to Muster, did not enjoy running circles
around the 1/2-mile race track, put a painful stop to his horse racing
adventures. While he was riding it in a race, the animal to decided
to head for the gate, where it came to an abrupt stop, throwing Muster
several feet into the air and beyond the gate. Muster landed hard, painfully
sustaining a compound fracture in one of his legs. It took me
a year to get over it, said Muster, adding that the leg hasnt
been the same since. After that, Muster rode only for pleasure.
In 1944, while at a horse show in Scottsburg, Muster met Joan Fry of
Iowa City, Iowa. The couple married a year later.
In 1968 Muster earned his real estate license, but it wasnt until
after the tornado of 1974 that his new business venture began to boom.
I didnt have to hunt (business), it hunted me, Muster
said. He remained active in real estate until the mid-1980s.
In addition to selling produce and real estate, Muster concurrently
purchased, remodeled and leased seven farms, each with a herd of cattle.
Muster sold his last herd in 1994.
Although semi-retired, Muster remains busy with his real estate holdings.
He still sells land, although now just his own.
In the early 1990s when Joan Muster became ill, Don Muster devoted most
of his time to caring for her until her death in 2001.
I think that is remarkable in itself, said Musters
friend and home health aid, Marilyn Hunt of Madison. He took care
of her for over seven years. He was very devoted. He doesnt give
himself enough credit.
Muster speaks fondly of his late wife, who he said was a great help
in his businesses. Everybody liked Joan, he recalled. She
was better (with people) than I was, really. If you couldnt get
along with her, you needed to go look in a mirror.
As he looked at his extensive collection of framed photographs of friends
and family, many of whom have passed away, Muster pondered his future
optimistically. I guess Ill be around for a while,
he said.
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