Wickes Corporation - $10,000 Specimen Bond

$10,000 5 1/8% Specimen Bond printed by American Bank Note Company. Walter Dietrich Behlen (October 16, 1905 – July 26, 1994) was born on a small farm near Columbus, Nebraska. He was the second of nine children born to Fred and Ella Behlen. His high school education was interrupted by illness, but he returned to school at age 20, and received his diploma at age 23. He married Ruby Cumming in 1940; the couple had two children.

In 1969, Behlen Manufacturing Company became a subsidiary of the Wickes Corporation of Saginaw, Michigan. This arrangement continued until 1984, when the local management bought the company through a leveraged buyout. The company continued to be locally owned.

Among the awards and honors he received over many years of business and civic service, Behlen earned the Horatio Alger Award in 1968, the first Nebraskan to be so honored. He was granted honorary doctorates from the University of Nebraska, Midland College, and Doane College. Walter Behlen died on July 26, 1994. Read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Behlen