George Henry Bartell Jr.

George Henry BARTELL Jr. October 20, 1916 ~ January 21, 2009 George H. Bartell Jr., Chairman Emeritus of the Bartell Drug Co. and the only son of the company's founder, passed away January 21 in Scottsdale, Arizona after a short illness. He was 92 years old. George H. Bartell Jr. grew up on Queen Anne Hill, attending West Queen Anne Elementary School and Queen Anne High School. His parents made an effort to develop in George an interest in the outdoors. He was an avid hiker and loved nothing better than hiking or walking. He studied maps of our State for trails to climb and logging roads to explore. Mr. Bartell was an ardent golfer for more than 80 years and a member of Seattle Golf and Country Club for much of this period. When Mr. Bartell was in elementary school his father asked him a question that forever changed his life: Should the Bartell Drug Co. be sold to a rival, out of State drugstore chain for a million dollars? The younger Mr. Bartell didn't hesitate: He said no. His father agreed and today the company is the oldest drugstore chain in the United States and is still family owned. In 1935, Mr. Bartell had to drop out of the University of Washington after one year of study because a doctor had informed his father that he had only a few months to live. As it turned out, his father lived more than 20 years longer, outliving the doctor. George began at the bottom, moving boxes and filling warehouse orders as he learned the business that his father had founded in Seattle in 1890. He continued his on-the-job training by working as a clerk and then an assistant store manager before being put in charge of purchasing and merchandising for the candy and tobacco departments of the Bartell Drug stores. He later took charge of store design and was named company President in 1939. Mr. Bartell was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942 and rose to the rank of captain. He was honorably discharged in 1946 at the conclusion of World War II. In 1951 Mr. Bartell was confronted with another life-altering decision.A recently enacted state law required drug store owners to be licensed pharmacists. The law was later ruled unconstitutional but at the time of its passage it appeared that unless Mr. Bartell returned to college to earn a degree in pharmacy, the company would have to be sold when his father died. Mr. Bartell enrolled in the University of Washington after a 17-year absence and earned a degree in pharmacy in three years, graduating with honors. Mr. Bartell and his father headed the company between them for 100 years, something in which George took great pride. In 1990 Mr. Bartell's son, George D. Bartell, continued the family tradition by becoming president. Mr. Bartell stayed on as Chairman of the company for a number of years until effective retirement, but he still came into the office four days a week until the age of 87 and occasionally thereafter. Mr. Bartell participated in a number of civic and philanthropic activities. These included The Municipal League, the Pacific Northwest Chapter of Young President's Organization and The Retail Trade Bureau,--all of which he headed at one point in time, as well as Boy Scouts, and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the Rainier Club, Scottish Rite Temple and Chief Executive's Forum. Mr. Bartell was a supporter of the University of Washington School of Pharmacy and Husky Football. Besides hiking and golfing his hobbies included gardening, traveling, and an interest in Seattle area history. He was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Elizabeth, who passed away in 2003, and his sister Amy Ellen, who died in 1998, and is survived by his children, George D. Bartell, Jean Bartell Barber, Robert H. Bartell and 7 grandchildren. Memorials may be addressed to the Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America or The Salvation Army. A memorial service will be held for Mr. Bartell at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 5th at University Presbyterian Church, 4540 15th Avenue NE, Seattle WA.