Good Men

Neppl was exuberant and often mangled his syntax; Seibert was quiet and always correct. Together, they became fast friends and in due time a very effective two-man team at the top. And, throughout their careers, both men always tried to do the right thing. Ethical and financial disasters like Enron and WorldCom would simply have been incomprehensible to them.

Walt Neppl and Don Seibert were common men with good minds and steadfast character. They were unassuming. When they went back to work after the war, Neppl's ambition was to manage a Penney store like the one in his home town of Carroll, Iowa. Seibert's dream was to make a living heading a jazz band . Religious men without airs or complexity, both worked unusually hard to advance their careers. They willingly put in endless hours, endured the grind of the road, and continually uprooted their families. They believed in the Golden Rule and they believed in Honor, Confidence, Service, and Cooperation. They were perfect Penney people and the last of the outstanding men to run J. C. Penney in the twentieth century.

And they were lucky.