BOB SLOAN
Bob Sloan’s address is 109B Ptacek, Meadowlark Hills. Bob lives at Meadowlark Hills but what you may not know is that he and his construction company built the first Meadowlark residence, the five-story building on the site.
Bob came to Manhattan in March 1946 after graduating from the University of Nebraska in 1936 with a degree in Architectural Engineering. He immediately went into the construction business with his father in Omaha, then moved to Manhattan a few years later to join the Green Construction Company. Within a few years of moving to Manhattan, he became the owner of this well-known mid-western construction company, which built many projects in a three state area…Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Included in the Manhattan projects are the library, City Hall, City Auditorium, the fire station and the original St. Mary’s Hospital (now known as Mercy Health Center). Bob married his wife Lillian two weeks after relocating to Manhattan. They raised three children in Manhattan during this time, and many of your probably know their youngest son, Wayne, who is in the construction business and still lives here in Manhattan. Bob and Lillian were married 50 years before she died in 1996. Both Bob and Lillian enjoyed K-State Sports of all kinds, and were season ticket holders in football and basketball even through the tough years. Bob admits, however, that he takes a “neutral” position when K-State plays Nebraska. It is hard to break away from one’s alma mater, especially if it is the Big Red. (You should see the blanket on his bed. Don’t try to steal it from him!) Another of Bob and Lillian’s favorite things to do was to go to Keck’s Steak House. How many of your readers remember Keck’s? What a wonderful place to get great food. Bob started attending First Christian when he moved to Manhattan. He had belonged to a DOC church while living in Omaha.
Bob’s visitors notice that he always has a smile on his face – even when he is napping. Here is a man who has been a successful business man, a successful husband and father, and is a man who is obviously at peace with the world and continues to love life. He likes visitors and has a lot of good stories to tell. His guests are both impressed and amused at his knowledge and wit. Bob, we are glad that you are “one of us” in the First Christian Church family!