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Rec'd B. A. and Juris Doctorate in 1967 from Oklahoma City University School of Law and stayed in Okla City working with the Lewis Barton family managing and developing real estate holdings. The Barton's owned drive-in theatres, shopping centers and eventually became a large stockholder of United Founders Life Insurance Co. After five years with Barton Theatre Co and United Founders Life, I moved to Houston for a few years and worked with a K-Mart development company, obtaining new locations around the U.S. for K-Mart. It was in Houston, just before changing employment again, that I met a pretty physical therapist who lived in my apartment complex. In December 1973, we stood before Reverend Norman Neaves and were married at his Church of the Servant on Northwest Highway @ McArthur Blvd.
Then it was two years in Liberal, Kansas, two in Atlanta and two more back in Oklahoma City with Allied Supermarkets, a company that owned several chain supermarkets including Humpty Dumpty Supermarkets in Oklahoma. When the parent company sold its stores to Safeway and other grocers, I moved to Greenville, South Carolina for five years with Bi-Lo Supermarkets as Director Real Estate/Construction. In 1983, I was hired as Regional Director of Real Estate for Revco Drug Stores out of Twinsburg, Ohio and was responsible for that department of the company for existing stores and new stores from Texas and Oklahoma to the east coast. Lived in Plano, Texas and then in Atlanta, Ga., where in 1993 after Revco sold to CVS Drug Stores and Eckerd Drug, I started a shopping center development partnership that built CVS stores, Blockbuster video stores, supermarkets and Target centers.
My son Jeff Wheeler is 32 and is living in Llano, Texas supervising nursery and garden centers for Lowes Home Improvement stores. My daughter Leigh is 30 and living in Washington D.C. She is with Discovery Channel's new Planet Green network station, having gained experience with The Travel Channel and The Learning Channel. After Jeff and Leigh left Atlanta and started careers elsewhere, and wife's parents in Kerrville, Texas were into their 80's and needing care, their mom moved back to the Hill Country of South Texas to look after them. In late 2002, I relocated to Tampa, Florida and continue to develop drug store locations. In 2004 I took four months and supervised the cleanup of Hurricane Jeanne in Hillsborough County, Florida for a company out of Alabama.
Over the years, I have enjoyed most all sports and played baseball for six years in the Atlanta Senior Men's Baseball League until I was 58 and needed both hip and knee replacements. For 12 years I assisted Ken Stabler with his golf charity for the Ronald McDonald House in Mobile, Alabama and with Phil Niekro and his Major League Baseball Alumni Assn. golf charity for the Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta.
My villa is in the Tampa Bay Golf & CC in an over age 55 subdivision 28 miles north of Tampa, FL. Everyone is invited to come by anytime and stay for the fun of the theme parks, museums, cultural venues, sports and beaches. The weather is excellent year around for golf and recreational enjoyment.
