Page 26 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2023 - Online Magazine

Slaton
O.D. Kenney's Inc.
A SLATON FIXTURE
SINCE 1929
by Mike Kenney
n the heart of Slaton, Texas,
where the sun paints the sky in
Ihues of amber and rust, there
stands a testament to time and
resilience: O.D Kenney's Inc., nestled
at 145 N. 9th St. This business,
born in 1929, has weathered the
years, growing from a humble
Conoco station to a sprawling
15,000 sq ft facility—a haven for
automotive enthusiasts, farmers,
and industrious souls alike.
O.D Kenney's, a family business,
is more than a store; it's a legacy.
The roots of this establishment,
founded by Othor Daniel Kenney,
or O.D. as the locals know him, go
back to O.D.’s childhood on a farm
near Maud, Texas. His journey from
laboring in a cotton gin as a young
child to owning his own horse and
buggy for a photographic company
26 Lubbock Senior Link
History
is woven into the fabric of Slaton's the Kenney family grew alongside
history. the firm.
Destiny took Kenney to the A.T. & In the middle of the company's
S.F. railroad in 1923, where he found expansion, the Kenneys understood
not only work but also love. When the need of imparting their beliefs
he married Bessie Nowell in 1925, to future generations. Wayne
it marked the beginning of a family and Alton, O.D.'s sons, worked
that would carry on the Kenney relentlessly to instill the Kenney
tradition for generations. The family work ethic into their children
landed in Slaton and opened their and grandchildren. As children,
first automobile business—a Conoco the Kenney heirs learned, among
station—where fate began to turn. the shelves of auto parts and the
buzz of machinery, not only the
Kenney soon recognized that Slaton technicalities of the business but
desired more than just gasoline. also the essential principles of
His company grew to incorporate honesty, integrity, and kindness.
car parts and accessories, and a These principles were not limited
Chevrolet dealership, purchased to the workplace; they pervaded all
in 1938, became the foundation of aspects of their life. As a result, the
the current location. Wayne and Kenney lineage not only embraced
Alton, Kenney's sons, smoothly the entrepreneurial spirit, but also
stepped into their father's shoes as carried on the Kenney legacy as