Dudley Kirke Holmes

Former Administrator & Board Member

It often took even close friends a while to tell Dudley Kirke Holmes from his twin brother Howard. Though they looked alike, their mannerisms were different. As children, both of the twins enjoyed golf, swimming, and horseback riding. Throughout his high school years Dudley showed his talented athleticism and leadership through football and basketball. He played on the high school football team three years, and the basketball team all four years of high school, taking the district title as team captain in 1931. Dudley also enjoyed acting in school plays. In his senior year he took up business management studies. In many ways his high school years were a blueprint for his subsequent life.

On October 29th, 1936, the twin's father, Howard Samuel Holmes passed away in an unfortunate accident. The brothers, now 23 years old, recognized the importance of keeping the mill running in the wake of tragedy. Howard's death propelled his wife, Mabel, into the presidency of the company, with Howard and Dudley taking on administrative roles. Dudley had finished his degree at University of Michigan the summer before his father passed.

Many years later Dudley recalled, "We grew up in and around the mill, doing the various little chores that people would entrust to kids our ages. I can't remember a time when my life didn't center around the mill. When you're third generation, it's just part of you. I wouldn't say we were ready to head the business in 1936, but we did the best we could." Dudley had a strong interest in commodities and brokering, which he applied to his work at the mill, becoming the secretary-treasurer. He secured the raw materials for the package mixes, managed the flour mill, and over time developed seventeen new products.

Being hands-on managers throughout most of their lives, the twins would always fill in where help was needed. During business hours, the brothers wore suits and handled the corporate side of the business. At night and on weekends, they dressed in overalls and hauled around 100-pound bags of flour, swept the loading docks, and answered mail. In Dudley's words, "We had the privilege of doing the whole damn thing ourselves. The men in the different departments taught us what to do."

At the start of World War II, the War Department informed the owners of the Chelsea Milling Company that one of the twins could be given a military deferment. "In April 1943, my father took the decision into his own hands.", Dudley, Jr. said.

Dudley Sr. explained a half century later. I enlisted in the navy almost immediately after we heard about Pearl Harbor. Nancy and I had been married a short time then." Dudley Sr. was sent to the South Pacific along with several of his employees at Chelsea Milling Company. Assigned to supply ships, he saw ferocious fighting on the islands.

When the war ended, Dudley took some time away from the family to find his own identity and to re-acclimate himself to civilian life. For sixteen or seventeen months he worked as a commodities broker, first in Chicago and then in Detroit. In the end, he chose to return to the family business.

After returning to Chelsea Milling Company, Dudley designed an advanced test kitchen in the plant. "The scales we used were so sensitive that they could detect the difference between two and three grains of sugar." he said. "The mixes had to be done exactly." Dudley was also in charge of plant operations, which included ordering the tremendous quantities of ingredients necessary for the mixes.

Without a doubt, the credit for the mill's longevity and success throughout the twentieth century goes to the two brothers who were identical in looks, but very different in temperament. They often did not see eye-to-eye, but they worked hard shoulder-to-shoulder and made decisions with the best interests of the mill, its employees, and consumers in mind.