Joel Jennings | May 24, 1938 - June 28, 2023
4 Significant Events in Joel's Life
Easily the most significant event in Joel's life was when he and Mary Lee accepted Jesus as their Savior in the mid 1970s.
While Mary Lee put her faith in Jesus after a Cursillo event, Joel made the same decision sometime later. As he said, "I was churched all my life. Only when I was asked to lead and teach a weekly Sunday School program at St. Alban's church in Edina did I realize that I didn't know what I believed. That's when my search began". His search paid off, and he accepted Jesus as his Savior. He later wrote "I can't imagine my life without Christ and the faith community. And God gave me a bonus - a wife who loves the Lord (John 10:10).
That led to a transformation in their lives, and from then on they spent an increasing amount of their time, energy and resources over the next almost-50 years supporting, serving, participating in, or leading various Christian ministries and missionaries including World Vision, Navigators, National Center for Fathering, CRU, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Bible Study Fellowship, Young Life, Old Life, Heshima, Wooddale Church and Rotary (among others).
The second most significant event in his life was marrying Mary Lee Russell and raising a family with her.
Joel met his wife-to-be at an Alpha Tau Omega fraternity social event in October 1959 on the campus of University of Wisconsin, Madison. He thought she was very cute, had a wonderful personality, and was a great dancer. Particularly the Jitterbug and the Lindy. She was 18 and a pledge at Alpha Chi Omega. He was 21 and would graduate the following Spring. Joel was a strong trumpet player in high school, even performing in a for-hire band with 3 of his class mates. When they first spoke, he asked if she was interested in music. She replied that she was. He told her that he played the trumpet. Nervous, she told him that she also played the trumpet. However, she did not know how to play the trumpet. "Great!" he said. "I've got a trumpet upstairs. I'll go get it and I'd love to hear you play!". As Mary Lee tells the story, he brought the trumpet downstairs, handed it to her, and she literally did not know what whether to put the bell of the horn or the mouthpiece to her lips. Despite this early interaction, she was too pretty to pass up and they continued dating.
Joel graduated in June 1960 with a BBA in Marketing from The School of Commerce at the University. He began work for Alcoa in July 1960 in their sales office in Newark, NJ. He took leave from Alcoa to enter the Army in September 1960 at Ft. Dix, NJ.
In March 1961, Joel got a weekend pass from Fort Dix and drove to Old Greenwich, CT (in his parent's car) to ask Lee to marry him. He drove Lee to an oceanfront spot called Todd's Point, proposed to her, and presented the ring he had bought earlier in Newark. She said "Yes!"
He returned to Alcoa that summer and was transferred to Pittsburgh, PA. He and Mary Lee were married at St. Paul's Espiscopal church in Riverside, CT on 8/12/1961, the day before the Russians began construction of the Berlin Wall. Joel's uncle, Fred Warneke, officiated the ceremony.
The honeymoon was a rental cabin in Damariscotta, ME, followed by some time at Joel's Aunt Mary's summer home in Peacham, VT. While on his honeymoon, Joel was notified by his Mother that his army unit had been activated for duty in response to the Berlin Crisis. Many year later, he shared that he felt his Mom could have waited until he returned from his honeymoon to give him that news.
His unit was sent to Ft. Bragg in Fayetteville, NC. Joel and Mary Lee spent 10 months in 1961/1962 living in a basement apartment they affectionately called "The Potato Cellar". Later they were able to rent a small house owned by two maiden ladies who washed the outside of the house every week or so. Mary Lee worked at the Capital Department Store as a credit clerk. Her pay was $0.75/hour.
Mary Lee became pregnant with their first baby in 1962. She moved back to live with her parents while Joel finished his Army responsibility. Joel was finally mustered out of the Army, and he resumed work with Alcoa, this time in Pittsburgh, PA. Their first child, Wendi, was born in 1962. Tracey followed in 1964 while they lived in IL. Finally, Jocelyn and Todd arrived in 1968 when they lived in MI.
The third most significant event in his life was purchasing and growing Gopher Sport.
After he was honorably discharged from the Army in 1962, Joel resumed his post-college career as a salesman with the Aluminum Corporation of America (ALCOA). He served in roles of increasing responsibility in PA, IL, MI for the next 7 years. While working in Michigan, he got his MBA in the evening through Wayne State University. In January 1969, he and his 28 year old wife and 4 kids ages 7,4 and 6 mos moved to Minnesota.
In 1972, he was offered a job with National Computer Systems (NCS) to become a General Manager and try to turn around one of their struggling businesses, United Mailing Company. Joel was successful enough turning that business around that NCS was able to sell it in 1976. That same year, Joel was given the opportunity to try and turn around another poorly performing business owned by NCS called Gopher Athletic Supply.
At that time, Gopher Athletic Supply was a regional reseller of athletic equipment and uniforms for team sports. The company sold goods through 3 retail stores (Fridley, Owatonna and Bloomington), black and white catalogs mailed to schools and a small field sales force. The company had a warehouse where merchandise was stocked, and a printing operation that could "decorate" uniforms and other apparel.
After a few years of stabilizing and improving the business, Joel felt strongly compelled to try to buy the business. He later said (and Mary Lee affirmed) "I was not a risk taker at all. However, I felt the Lord was behind my desire to buy the business". His first inquiry about purchasing the business was rebuffed by the then-CEO of NCS, Charlie Oswald, who told him "You don't have enough money." Joel cobbled together his cash, a business loan (secured by his house) at 17% interest, and additional capital from 2 silent investors and was able to purchase the company in 1979.
Joel personally led and operated the company through several decades of successful and profitable growth. By the late 80's, the main revenue-generating part of the company had become imprinted women's apparel, which the company was selling to department stores around the country. A second entity was incorporated for the apparel business. The apparel corporation even had a showroom on 5th Avenue in NYC where department store buyers could come and see the company's current "line" of apparel. Joel would later say, in a self-deprecating and humorous way, about that New York showroom, "That showroom made us look like we were "big time"".
By the early 90s, the apparel corporation was large but not profitable. Joel kept learning the hard way that once you became a bigger vendor, the department store buyers would increasingly squeeze you for every percentage point they could get. One weekend, very high straight-line winds toppled the apparel corporation's warehouse and printing building. No one was present when the building toppled, so thankfully no one was hurt. However, most of the raw materials and finished inventory was lost and the corporation could not fulfill existing or new orders for several months. The business got operating again, but Joel and the one remaining investor agreed to get out of the imprinted apparel business altogether and focus on equipment. No buyer wanted the apparel corporation, so the assets of the corporation were sold to a Wisconsin company who later, unfortunately, went bankrupt. He would later say "I waited too long to get out of that."
The much smaller but more profitable direct-marketing corporation grew quickly due to more focused attention from Joel and a strong team of hard-working, committed employees. The last original investor exited successfully in the early 2000s. Joel was confident enough in the team and the strength of the company that he was able to delegate most day-to-day responsibilities to a new President in 2003. He officially retired from the CEO role in 2012. He retired from the board of directors of the corporation in 2016 and sold his remaining interest in 2019.
The fourth most significant event in his life was becoming a grandfather.
Imagine a person spending 20 years eating yogurt. They think strawberry yogurt tastes wonderful and is satisfying. They like blueberry and cherry yogurt too. Even though yogurt tases wonderful, there is such a thing as "too much yogurt". Now imagine that same person finally trying ice cream. A new universe of understanding opens up. Their scale of what qualifies as "tastes wonderful" is now completely different. They can't imagine a concept like "too much ice cream".
So it is, apparently, when people become grandparents....
Joel's strawberry ice cream moment was the arrival of grandchild #1.
Henry Moffly came in 1991. Henry is now 31 years old and living in Ventura, CA with girlfriend Kayla. Henry is a business owner, entrepreneur, and local community leader. Henry, like Joel, maintains a joyous and entrepreneurial spirit along with a love of music and the outdoors.
Grandchild 2 is Isabel Felt (née Moffly). Isabel married her college sweetheart René Felt in 2022 and lives in Washington, DC. Isabel, like Joel, is creative, sweet, incredibly caring for others while carrying on his love of photography, design and of course, his trademark sense of humor.
Grandchild 3 is Sam Hagman. Sam married his wife Erin in 2019 and lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Sam is now the father of Zuri and works as a doctor. Recently, he has graduated from residency at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. Like Joel, Sam takes great joy in providing care to others through his practice in medicine.
Grandchild 4 is Willy Moffly. Willy is 27 and recently married his high school sweetheart, Emily and works at Validus Capital in El Segundo, CA. Like Joel, Willy carries his grandfather's spirit through his easy-going nature, caring attitude and great affinity for the game of Golf.
Grandchild 5 would be Simon Hagman. Simon is 27 and lives with his mom Tracey and dad Eric on their property in Nairobi, Kenya. Simon, like his grandfather Joel carries on his spirit by preaching the word of the Lord which he spreads through his family's work at their charity: Heshima Children's Center.
Grandchild 6 is Addie Jennings. Addie lives with her mother Jodie in St. Louis Park, MN. Like her grandfather Joel, Addie practices patience, love and kindness through her work with animals.
Grandchild 7 came as Holden Running. Holden currently attends college at the University of New Mexico where he is studying to become a CRNA. Like Joel, Holden is disciplined in his physical fitness which is apparent through his practice in Jiu Jitsu and mixed martial arts.
Grandchild 8 came with Todd (TJ) Jennings. TJ lives with his parents in Sunfish Lake, MN and carries on Joel's spirit through disciplined hard work at school and in his work locally.
Grandchild 9 would come with "High Speed" Chase. Chase Jennings lives with his brothers TJ and Jake on Sunfish Lake. Chase carries on Joel's spirit through his curious, ever learning mind and talent for thought and problem-solving.
Grandchild 10 was Jake Jennings. Jake is the youngest of three boys and the final grandchild born of Todd and Lorri. Jake's wit, humor and kindness shines as brightly as his grandfather Joel.
Great-Grandchild #1 (a new generation) came with Zuri Hagman born in 2022. Zuri is sweet as ice cream and 10 times as cute. Zuri is the daughter of 3rd born grandson Sam and his wife Erin.
