Class of 2008

S. Dean Evans  

Historic (1926-1975) 

S. Dean Evans, Sr. was born March 12, 1920, in Green, Kansas to Sam and Erma Evans and came to Salina in 1938 with money borrowed from a relative which he later repaid.  He graduated from Brown Mackie College, serving as Student Council President.  He was employed by Eberhardt-Simpson Grain Company as an accountant and later office manager and then became a partner with Simpson-Romeiser-Evans Grain. When Clarence Romeiser started his own company, Dean joined Simpson, Evans and Laybourn Grain.

On February 1, 1954, Dean formed Evans Grain Company.  He never forgot the help he received along the way and always wanted to see others succeed and presented them with opportunities.  As a result, his employees were considered part of his extended family.  He saw the good in people and provided college scholarships to countless young men and women.  Dean had an open door policy to anyone who wanted to visit about a problem.  He did say “before you complain about something, have a solution.”

Dean’s support for kids through sports was a unique example of his support for both individuals and the larger Salina community.  He supported little league teams, including the American Legion older group.  He was known for taking kids to Knight’s Sporting Goods to buy them equipment so they could play.  The basketball courts on his driveway were full every afternoon and evening with Kansas Wesleyan players and young neighborhood kids gathering for a pick up game.  The only rule was no swearing and turn the lights out when you are done.  In 1970, he was honored by Sport magazine for his work in boy’s baseball and 1979 was inducted in the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.  He was honored by the City of Salina in 1992 when the baseball stadium at the East Crawford Recreation Area was named in his honor.

He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church serving as chairman of the Board of Trustees and the Building Committee.  He was on the Board of Directors for Asbury-Salina Regional Medical Center Foundation and Marymount College.  He served on the Board of Trustees at Kansas Wesleyan University and received the Distinguished Service Award.  He was president of the Salina YMCA, chairman of the Campaign Committee for the Salina United Way in 1973 and vice president and co-chairman of the Bicentennial Center Authority in 1978-79.  In 1986 he was elected to the 10^th District of the Federal Reserve Board of Kansas City.  He received the Distinguished Service Award from St Francis Boys’ Homes.  He supported both Boy and Girl Scouts and was involved in fundraising for Camp Hansen for the Boy Scouts and donated the ground to the Girl Scouts for Camp Sacajawea.

His concern for the future of Salina kept him involved with fund raising for many organizations such as Salina YMCA, Salina YWCA and Kansas Wesleyan.  He donated generously to the Land Institute in its earliest years believing that their work was important for the future of all of us.

Dean served as president of Kansas Grain and Feed Dealers Association and was also an officer in the National Grain and Feed Dealers Association.  When Dean passed away on November 8, 1991, the Kansas City Board of Trade suspended trading for one minute in his memory.

He was active in Republican politics and strongly supported many candidates over the years, but never asked for favors in exchange.  In 1968 he became a member of the Electoral College.

Dean and his wife Grace had three children, Sam, Mary Ellen and Dan and eight grandchildren.

It would be difficult to find someone as compassionate and caring as Dean Evans.  He made an impact on many people and the community.

Paul E. Junk

Contemporary (1976-Present)

Paul E. Junk was born July 30, 1936 on a farm northwest of Tipton, Kansas, the youngest of 13 children.  When he was eight years old, Paul’s family moved to Denver, CO where he graduated from Mullen High School.  After high school, Paul spent two years in the U.S. Navy aboard the Lexington Aircraft Carrier in the Pacific.  Following his service in the Navy, Paul worked with his brother in his roof truss business in Colby, KS.  In 1960 he moved to Salina and started his own roof truss business.  In 1963 he married Carol Albers from Grinnell, KS and the couple had two children, Michael Paul Junk and Michelle Marie Haines.

Paul soon became discouraged with the poor craftsmanship of cabinet work he received on four houses he was building in Abilene.  In 1969 he sold his roof truss business and launched Crestwood, Inc. to fill a void in the Salina area for exceptionally crafted cabinetry.  Paul believed in steady growth over the years, keeping the focus on quality not volume.  

What started as a two man operation had grown to around 40 people by 1975, with a service area within a hundred mile radius of Salina.  The Crestwood name could not be a community kept-secret for long.  In 1976 Crestwood set-up it’s first outside dealership in Colby, KS.  Paul stressed high quality standards and exceptional service to its dealers.  This first dealership in Colby is still a valued Crestwood dealer along with 160 others across the United States.  Crestwood prides itself on the loyalty of the dealerships established over the years.   

Paul was constantly refining his product lines and enjoyed time in the maintenance shop where he made cutters and modified purchased equipment so it would produce the quality he expected.  Any equipment he couldn’t purchase, he engineered and built in his shop.  At the same time, Paul was very active in the community and has served on numerous boards over the years.  

In 1995 Paul welcomed his son, Mike, into the business and has slowly handed over the reins, instilling in him the same values and work ethic he had.  After eight additions to the facility on Avenue A, Crestwood purchased land south of town on Water Well Road.  Paul started construction of a 220,000 square foot state of the art facility in 1997 and began production 1998 with 170 associates.  This same year Mike was made President of Crestwood.  In 1999, Paul launched a subsidiary business in countertop fabrication in a portion of the facility on Avenue A.  Applying the same principals and standards Paul has valued, this business has grown with a reputation for quality and service.  

In 2005, Crestwood again determined that it needed to expand it current facilities and added 80,000 square feet to keep pace with the growing industry.  This addition also included an 8,000 square foot home remodeling showroom.  The current Crestwood facility totals 300,000

square feet, accommodating 200 skilled associates, creating one of the country’s most modern woodworking facilities.   

Paul, currently serving as Chief Executive Officer and advisor, attributes one key principal to the success of Crestwood.  Surround yourself with quality individuals whose strengths balance your weaknesses.