Nick's Hamburger Shop

A few years ago, Duane Larson, our classmate, sold Nick's Hamburger Shop after he had owned it for a number of years.  One "highlithght" of his tenure occurred in 1985 when Coca-Cola introduced the "New Coke".  I believe Duane was so outraged at the "new and improved taste" that he no longer sold any Coke products in the shop.  He was not alone in his evaluation of this ghastly fiasco (http://www.nbcnews.com/id/7209828/ns/us_news/t/it-seemed-good-idea-time/#.UlrG91MoGyI).   In 2004, Duane sold the shop to Dick Fergen.

Dick was the eldest son of Jim Fergen, the owner of Fergen's Menswear in downtown Brookings.  He graduated in 1960, and was a very talented athlete, playing all three major sports of that time.  He held the school record in the 120 yard high hurdles that Bob Adams, a year ahead of us, would eventually break.  Dick was good friends with one of my older brothers (they both were somewhat wild in their high-school years, to put it mildly).  Dick would often tell us of the numerous athletic stories, particularly those concerning track and field, that Guy O. Karnes would spin during some free time while at school. 

Guy O., I believe, was an outstanding track and filed coach in Minnesota (was it Shattuck Academy?) before he came to Brookings.  Some of his athletes were among the best in the country at the high-school level.  One memorable story he told us concerned a trip that his team was taking.  After competing, they went to a restaurant to replenish their systems.  If their teams were like ours when we were in high school, the athletes all were given pretty much the same standard meal.  Guy O. noticed one boy eating by himself in a corner.  Guy O. went over to inquire if anything was wrong.  The boy had ordered his own meal, a nice, juicy steak.  When the meal came, guy O. told the boy "Thank you," and informed the young man that his meal would be forthcoming, and and that he could eat it with his teammates, while guy O. would happily finish off the steak. 

Dick had a number of younger brothers, none of whom were in our class, but may have been in classes with our siblings.  Dave was about three years younger.  He now lives in Volga, and was a long-time employee at the Park and Rec Department after working for a while for his father.  He probably helped a number of us when we shopped at Fergen's during our younger days.  Tim lives north of town, and is married to Patti Felt's sister.  He is an all-around craftsman.  He has built some fine homes in the area, but is probably best known for restoring and building cars.  Tom is a year younger than we are.  In Junior High, we became somewhat friendly because we were both pole vaulters during spring track and filed season. Todd, one of Dick's sons, too, was an accomplished pole vaulter, as well as a fine wrestler.   Tom  was very acrobatic, and was a talented diver at the pool during the summer.  Mike (Tank) has been the owner or Ray's corner for many years, and has done extremely well in that business. 

Dick purchased Nick's in 2004, and was able to make a number of changes.  If you have been to Nick's recently, it is not the same Nick's that was there when we were in high school or college.  He practically doubled the size by incorporating the next-door barbershop into the eatery.  The next-door lot to the south was a restaurant that had burned down about 30 years ago, so he made that into an outdoor dining area.  He also bought a trailer and a portable grill so he could go on the road and have burger feeds for special events, most notably for tailgating at football games.  Dick recognized that Brookings had been good to him, he had sown his wild oats, and it was now time to come home and be an asset to the community.  He turned out to be a wonderful ambassador for Brookings (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=18953&page=76).

Unfortunately, Dick was diagnosed esophageal cancer six months ago.  He remained as active as his health would allow, but he finally succumbed on October 11, 2013 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1125980Fergen).  Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Dick and his family at this time.