When I think of Oswald’s Pharmacy, I think of family—and few people represented that more to me growing up than my great-grandfather, Harold Kester. Or as we all affectionately called him, Pampy.
Unlike Grandpa Oswald and W.W. Wickel, whom I only know through family stories and newspaper clippings, Pampy was a regular part of my childhood. He lived just a few blocks away from the store and my childhood home, and would stop by the pharmacy often well after retirement. I grew up just across the alley from the house he once raised his family in—the same house W.W. Wickel built in 1892. That meant I wasn’t just surrounded by the physical legacy of the pharmacy—I was surrounded by the family members who built it.
Pampy was a fixture in our lives. A devoted White Sox fan, I have fond memories of sitting in his living room, watching games together. Even going to games with him in Chicago when I was younger. While I never worked side-by-side with him at Oswald’s, I’ve heard from my dad more than once that the way I run the store and engage with customers reminds him of Pampy. That’s about as high a compliment as I can imagine!
He began working at the pharmacy in 1930, hired by Louis Oswald—who also happened to be his future father-in-law. He married Louis’s daughter, Helen, in 1931 and earned his pharmacy degree from UIC in 1940. He and Helen took over ownership in 1953, leading the business through some of its biggest changes. Pampy expanded the store twice and moved the soda fountain multiple times before ultimately removing it to make way for a robust cosmetics department—decades ahead of the chains on that one. As much as I’d love to still have that fountain, I have to admit, outside of that one decision… Pampy did just about everything right! And being honest with myself, at the time, that was the right move too. Though I’ll bring it back one day!
But his impact went well beyond the four walls of the store. He was deeply invested in Naperville’s growth and community. He served two terms as a city commissioner and was a founding member of the Central Areas Renewal Development Organization—he even came up with its nickname, “CAN DO.” He was instrumental in solving downtown’s parking woes and played a key role in Naperville’s postwar expansion. His legacy isn’t just Oswald’s. It’s in the very fabric of this city.
Pampy was also a reader. He loved books so much that in 1964 he opened Paperback Paradise above the pharmacy. That little shop would go on to become Anderson’s Bookshop—run today by my Aunt and Cousin. So if you’ve ever found a good read at Anderson’s, you’ve got Pampy to thank!
Thanks for reading, and Happy July. If you’ve got a memory of Pampy, I’d love to hear it next time you’re in the store. ℞
