Jess Ondell was born on the plains of South Dakota in 1922.

Hard work was an important part of his life. Before breakfast each day he and his father hand milked 27 cows. Then Jess rode his pony a mile to school. In this one room school, every class heard the lessons of all the other classes. Jess was so attentive he was allowed to skip two grades and as a result, he graduated from high school at the age of 15.

A few days after his 16^th birthday, he left South Dakota to play pro ball in the Bi-State League. He played pro ball for 2 years before starting college at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD.

While a junior, World War II broke out. On December 8, 1941, he enlisted in the Navy where he attained the rank of Lieutenant in the submarine service. After the war, Jess enrolled at South Dakota State University where he received a BS in Pharmacy.

In 1957, Jess moved to La Crosse and along with Marc Arneson opened Major Drug in Jackson Plaza. In 1971, he received a Master’s Degree from UW-La Crosse and soon after he began his second career as a Hardee’s Fast Food Franchise owner. In addition, he has served as chairman of the National Marketing Committee for Hardee’s Food Systems. 

His community involvement includes serving on the YMCA Board of Directors and the building committee for the present facility. Although he cannot swim, he was co-founder of the Y swim team. He founded the Majors Minors baseball team and coached the American Legion team. One of his most satisfying endeavors was creating the La Crosse Juniors baseball program which was made up of players not ready for the American Legion team.

Jess started the La Crosse chapter of SCORE- the Service Corps of Retired Executives and chaired the organization for 5 years. He served on the Lutheran Hospital Board of Trustees and was Chair of the Building Committee. He was on the Lutheran Hospital Foundation Board for 6 years and is currently treasurer of the merged Gundersen/Lutheran Foundation. Jess also served on the University of Wisconsin La Crosse Foundation Board for 9 years—president for his last 2 years. In 1996, he was recipient of the UW-La Crosse Chancellor’s Award, given to those who have provided exemplary dedication to the university. Jess has also established a Jess Ondell Scholarship Fund in Chemistry and Biology at UW-La Crosse.



Jess and Marilyn have been married for 54 years. They are the parents of three children, Todd, Rochelle, and Dane, as well as three grandchildren.