Ken Denton, owner of Tillie's Flower Shop, one of the top 100 FTD florist in the nation in Wichita, Kan., is a graduate of Ponca Military Academy.
From a single shop with less than $100,000 in sales in 1976 Denton and his wife Kathy, have expanded the business to four shops with 40 full time employees and annual sales of more than $2 million.
Here is Denton's story in his own words. "I graduated from PMA in 1960 with the dubious distinction of having attended the academy longer than any other cadet, 10 years. An attendance record that still stands today.
"If anyone's life was affected by the school it would have to be mine. I was an only child that came from a broken home, and my mother thought the military school experience would instill qualities in me that might not be available in a fatherless home.
"I'm not sure she was right about that, but it certainly affected my life in a positive way as well as many of my classmates. It is hard to explain the feelings and emotions that come from attending a military school to someone that is not familiar with that kind of environment.
"Living, eating, playing, fighting, studying and communicating with the same group of boys (only boys) for 24 hours a day, every day of the week for months creates a unique family like relationship that stays with you all of your life.
"While I had no paternal brothers or sisters, I have hundreds of PMA brothers. That is why we don't have class reunions, we have school reunions, which for us are essentially family reunions.
"The fact that, at least in my day, we were fairly isolated from the city of Ponca City, located on a distant hill out in the country, made that relationship even closer. It also made our precious few visits into town very special.
"The Vietnam war and changing times resulted in a diminishing amount of discipline at PMA, and ultimately caused the school to close. But in my day discipline was king, and was the common thread in all our activities. We had a set of rules that did not change, and were not enforced with anger, but were strongly, and I would say very effectively, enforced.
"Those rules were never bent, even for an eight year old boy that sometimes found it difficult to keep his shoes shined or his bed made with military corners and no wrinkles. I remember one of my infractions, I was caught shooting rubberbands in formation. I had to march into the commandant's office and ask for my punishment that consisted of 29 continuous, hard, swats with a wooden paddle.
"Then after the spanking, I had to fight back the tears, come to attention, salute, and say 'thank you sir.' That may seem barbaric today, but I feel fortunate that I was able to receive that kind of discipline. When something happened to you that you felt was hurtful or unfair you had no one to cry to, except maybe your friends or roommates, but that pretty much fell on deaf ears.
"You had to accept that was the way it was, take the responsibility to find a way to deal with it, and get on with things. I think that lesson of taking responsibility for myself was the greatest lesson I took from PMA. It has allowed me to honestly evaluate my actions and relationships so that I could make the kind of changes that lead me to greater success and happiness.

One of the most common rules at the school, and was strictly enforced, was to address all our superiors and all 'civilians' with the term 'sir' and 'ma'am.' It's funny how that habit will stay with you the rest of your life, and can make such a difference in your life. I can't tell you how often that simple gesture of respect to others has opened doors of opportunities to me that would have otherwise been difficult to open.
"PMA also addressed the spiritual side of our development. While it was not a religious school, we did pray in school at every meal and we were required to attend the Sunday school of our choice in town every Sunday. The Church we attended was more often determined by the girls in the congregation than by the particular philosophy, but we did learn the Christian concepts and the fact that there is something greater than ourselves.
"I remember a visit to the PMA by several professional athletes, one of which was Bob Mathias, two time Olympic decathlon winner. They spoke to us on Christian values and handed out little blue cards which they autographed. Because of those autographs I carried that little card in my billfold well into adulthood, and it had a big effect on my life.
"When I speak of the card today only people in Oklahoma seem to be familiar with the group that handed them out. A little card, but great big words to live by; 'God is First, the other person is second, and I'm third.'
"Scholastic achievement was very important at PMA. We were forced to do our homework and do it right. We had two hours of silent study hall every night except for Saturday night.
"If we failed to get our homework done correctly, or if our grades were below par, we were forced to stay on campus, and study while the others got to go on our twice weekly trips to town. Those study habits served me well in collage. I was able to resist some of the partying until my studies were complete.
"I graduated from PMA as Cadet Captain, or cadet commander, and I did receive one honor. Then Vice President Nixon offered me an appointment the U.S. Military Academy of my choice. It was difficult for me to turn down, but after spending 10 of my 17 years of life in a military environment, I wanted to go to a college that offered something PMA did not, GIRLS!
"I graduated from Wichita State University with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and a new wife. After graduation I worked for Honeywell in Minneapolis until my mother passed away in 1975. My wife and I, along with our three children, moved back to Wichita and took over my family's floral business named after my mother, "Tillie's Flower Shop."
"With the help of two of our three daughters we still operate it today. It is currently the second oldest business in Wichita, started by my grandfather in 1876, and is one of the top 100 FTD flower shops in the country. My oldest and youngest daughter are currently taking over the business, while my third daughter works as an attorney in San Francisco. For those interested, our website is www.tilliesflowers.com pictures,
"I was born in Wichita and consider it home, but I grew up in Ponca City and can't help but get that warm feeling of returning home every time I visit. There was always a good relationship between the cadets and the town girls, but there was always a bit of conflict with the town boys. In spite of that, over my 10 years, I developed several good friendships with both town girls and town boys. The PMA School is gone, but I still look forward to my visits to Ponca City."
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