Person:Merle Nelson (2)

About Merle "Conkey" Nelson

Merle Alma "Conkey" Nelson was born 7 December 1932 in Gonzales County, Texas, the daughter of Texas Grocer Robert Louis Nelson (1907-1981) and his wife Gladys Estelle Turk (1906-1992). At an early age, she became known by her "soft-name" or nick-name of "Conkey", which followed her throughout life.

When "Conkey" Nelson was away at a preparatory school in Greenville, South Carolina, she met her her future husband, Earl Winfield Johnston, who was a student at nearby Bob Jones University. They were married four years later in 1950. Earl's family was in the pie business, manufacturing "Johnston's Pies", founded in 1929. In 1955, the pie business was sold and Conkey and her husband Earl went to Conkey's hometown of Gonzales, Texas to help raise chickens on her father's ranch, which at the time due to the depressed chicken market, was losing money on a weekly basis. In 1960, Earl's uncle Edwin Johnston purchased a small yogurt plant that produced product that was (at the time) only sold in small health-food stores. Edwin invited the other family members to invest in his yogurt manufacturing venture, but most of them declined. They told him that "Everybody likes pies, nobody likes yogurt". But unlike the others, Conkey found herself trying to push the new product in supermarkets, but consumers showed early resistance to the product caused her to call it "a milk product" instead of yogurt, and before long, Conkey had trained a group of about 20 women, all dressed in Bulgarian costumes to pass out samples in supermarkets throughout Southern California. The Bulgarian outfits were certainly appropriate as Johnston's yogurt was made from Bulgarian cultures. Soon, the new product started selling well, and Conkey Johnston's job evolved into developing the sales and marketing of Johnston's yogurt, and she was showing up in supermarket buyer's offices, food industry trade functions and on television interview segments helping to promote it. Johnston's signature "little yellow cups" became a strong competitor in the fast-growing yogurt category in Southern California supermarkets.

While she headed up Johnston's sales efforts, Conkey was very active in a local Southern California food-industry trade association, the Dairy/Deli/Bakery Council (DDBC), an organization that still exists today in 2014. She was a regular attendee at the monthly meetings, seminars and other events and helped promote Johnston's products with many of her customers and Buyers in the Southern California market. She was recognized by the Deli Council in March 1976 ans awarded its "Big Cheese" Award when she was working then for Soul Brothers Kitchen.

Conkey became President of Johnston Foods Company in 1980, when her husband, Earl Johnston, stepped down from that post to sell boats in Newport Beach, California. Johnston's Yogurt of Beverley Hills was incorporated in California in 1985, and became a product carried in most Southern California supermarkets dairy sections, until the company was sold [or "merged"] in 1987 to Heidi's Frozen Yogurt. [Johnston's later in 1988 filed suit against Heidi's Frozen Yogurt, when it alleged that Heidi's promised to buy Johnston's yogurt as a deliberate "scam and fraud" to extract a $150,000 loan, which appears to have been settled out-of-court in February 1989]. The "little yellow cup" yogurt eventually faded away from supermarket shelves as other competitors entered the yogurt category.

Conkey Johnston passed away on 3 October 2005 in Lake Elsinore, Riverside County, California, pre-deceasing her husband Earl Johnston who continued to live in the Lake Elsinore area for several years after her passing.

Citations

Los Angeles Times article: "Heidi's Yogurt Chain to Merge With Johnston Foods", September 16, 1988, by Mary Ann Galante.

Los Angeles Times article: "Former Heidi's Suitor Files $5.6-Million Suit: Johnston Foods Accuses Yogurt Chain of Committing Fraud to Obtain a Loan", December 7, 1988, by Mary Ann Galante.

Los Angeles Times article: "Heidi's Denies Trying to Bilk Former Suitor", December 10, 1988, by Mary Ann Galante.

Los Angeles Times article: "Firms Had Sought to Put Chain Into Bankruptcy: Heidi's Reaches a Settlement With 3 Creditors", February 14, 1989, by Mary Ann Galante.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index: Death Master File, database. (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service).

   U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current
   Name: Merle A. Johnston
   Last Residence: 92530 Lake Elsinore, Riverside, California
   BORN: 7 Dec 1932
   Last Benefit: 92530 Lake Elsinore, Riverside, California
   Died: 3 Oct 2005
   State (Year) SSN issued: Texas (Before 1951)

2.   U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 2. (Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010).

   U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 2
   Name: Merle A Johnston
   Birth Date: 7 Dec 1932
   Address: 28625 Billings Ln, CA, 92330

3.   U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1. (United States).

   Name: Merle A Johnston
   Birth Date: 7 Dec 1932
   Address: 555 Clement Dr, Glendale, CA, 91202-1517 (1989)
   [28625 Billings Ln, Lake Elsinore, CA, 92530-1705 (1992)]
   [28625 Billing Ln, Elsinore, CA, 92330 (1992)]

4.   Texas, United States. Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997.

   Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997
   Name: Merle Alma Nelson
   Date of Birth: 7 Dec 1932
   Gender: Female
   Birth County: Gonzales
   Father's Name: Robert L Nelson
   Mother's name: Gladys E Turk
   Roll Number: 1932_0005

5.   United States. 1940 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T627).

   1940 United States Federal Census
   Name: Merle A Nelson
   Age: 7
   Estimated Birth Year: abt 1933
   Gender: Female
   Race: White
   Birthplace: Texas
   Marital Status: Single
   Relation to Head of House: Daughter
   Home in 1940: Gonzales, Texas
   Map of Home in 1940: View Map
   Street: Greenwood Road
   Inferred Residence in 1935: Gonzales, Gonzales, Texas
   Residence in 1935: Gonzales, Gonzales, Texas
   Resident on farm in 1935: No
   Sheet Number: 17B
   Attended School or College: Yes
   Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 1st grade
   Household Members: Name Age
   Robert L Nelson 33
   Gladys Nelson 33
   Robert L Nelson 12
   Jimmie Ruth Nelson 9
   Merle A Nelson 7