Tony Bertoglio
The Bertoglio brothers, Tony and Jack, were the sons of James and Maria
Bertoglio. They moved from western Kansas (Garden City) to Barber County
March 13, 1930, purchasing a Chevrolet dealership in Kiowa. A year later,
March 13, 1931, they expanded by purchasing the Chevrolet dealership in
Medicine Lodge. Taht date proved to be a "lucky day," for the business grew
and prospered.
Jack Bertoglio eventually sold his share and moved to Bellingham, WA.,
where he still resides with his wife, Fayetta. Tony remained in Kansas
finishing out his automobile business career until his son, Jim, bought the
dealership known as Lodge Chevrolet-Olds-Buick in 1962. Tony resides in
Scottsdale, Arizona.
It is important to know that the move to Barber County was made during
the "depression time;" so it took much ingenuity to keep a business going.
Money was scarce so the Bertoglios resorted to "bartering" in order to keep
their customers supplied with transportation. It was not unusual for them
to take livestock and farm products in trade for cars and trucks.
They came by the ingenuity rightly from their father, James, who was
born in Italy. One of five children James left home at the age of twelve
with a pair of shoes to serve as "water boy" during the building of the
Swiss-Italian Alpine Tunnel. He made his way to the United States at the age
of eighteen, in the year 1890.
Jim, the first son of Tony and Ethel Bertoglio, also demonstrated much
talent as a photographer selling many of his photographs to such as the
"Liberty" magazine. Jim served in the Air Force during World War II, spending
most of his three years in Italy.
After, Jim attended the University of Colorado, he married Janet Brosius,
of Wichita, Kansas, October 14, 1951. They had two sons, James Antone and
John Christopher. Both sons attended Medicine Lodge schools and the University
of Kansas, then venturing into the business world as a commodity broker and
real estate man, respectively.
Jack, the second son, was more interested in the mechanical area, but after
attending the University of Kansas, he chose to develop his own building
company. Jack married Jo Le Potucek of Wellington, Kansas, in 1959. They have
one daughter, Tonia, who attends junior high. Jack and his family reside in
Florida, where he is President of Gold Crown, Inc.
Even though many of the members of the Bertoglio family live elsewhere at
the present time, they do, nevertheless, consider Barber County to be their
home.
Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas, pg. 104