John Sellars.org

Springfield Roots

I was born January 11, 1949, at St. John’s Hospital on North Main Street in Springfield, Missouri, the oldest of four children born to John R. and Helen J. Sellars. I spent my early years living in one of four apartments in an old house at 938 St. Louis Street, attending McDaniel Elementary beginning in 1955, the same year Springfield schools were integrated.

In 1962 my family moved to a two bedroom house in south Springfield near Galloway and I attended Glendale High School where I participated in football, basketball, and track while working at a small general store on weekends and summers. My time at the Kickapoo Farm Store taught me the value of hard work and the satisfaction of a job well done. I worked my way through college at Southwest Missouri State by driving at night for Foremost Dairies and Colonial Bakery and working in the athletic department in the work study program to pay for my books and fees

Business Experience

After college, I began a business career that included 16 years with Coca-Cola.  Early in my career, I also served as a reserve police officer for the Springfield Police Department where I would remain for five years, reaching the rank of Sergeant.  In 1980, I began working for Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Springfield, ultimately becoming Division Manager over plants in Bolivar and Lebanon, Missouri.

After leaving Coca-Cola in 1996, Jane and I moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she taught third grade and I was Sales Manager for Canada Dry Bottling Company. After only one year in Atlanta I was recruited by Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to become their Marketing Director. I was transferred to St. Louis in 1999 where I became Operations Director for the division. Restructuring of the company occurred a year later and I became Region Manager back in my home town of Springfield.

Commitment to Community

While I was with Coke, I began my lifelong involvement with civic groups including board memberships for Ronald McDonald House, Girls Club of Springfield, Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce of Springfield, Springfield Little Theatre, Ozarks Public Television, and The History Museum of Springfield. I also served as president of Habitat for Humanity of Springfield, and in the early ‘90s served as president of the Chamber of Commerce of Lebanon, Missouri.  After briefly leaving Missouri in the 90s, we returned to Springfield where I would retire from business and become the Director of The History Museum for Springfield-County. I am now the Executive Director of The Fremont, a retirement community in south Springfield.

I have remained active in several civic organizations including Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, Boys and Girls Town of Missouri, The Victims Center, Relay for Life, Ozarks Public Television, Wilson’s Creek Battlefield, the Gillioz Theatre, Springfield Little Theatre and I am past chairman of the Springfield Landmarks Board.

Family

My wife Jane has been a life-long teacher.  We married in 1995 and our children have all grown up here in Springfield, attending both public and private schools in the area.  Four of our five children and all five of our grandchildren still live in Springfield.  Since our return to Springfield Jane has been  teaching in the gifted program in Springfield Public Schools, and today is the Seventh Grade Communication Arts teacher at Central High School in the Springfield Scholars Program.