John F. Kennedy was leading the nation when Neal Bakker immigrated to the United States more than six decades ago. Twenty-four years old and speaking little English, Bakker arrived in Kansas under the sponsorship of a fellow Dutchman, Wichitan John Borst, to work in Borst’s greenhouse, Livingston Rose Garden & Nursery.
As Bakker evolved from employee to business owner, he raised a family and solidified an already deep-rooted work ethic. But while he embraced his adopted country and celebrated the opportunities it provided, gaining his U.S. citizenship was not top of mind.
“All of those years, I was just concentrating on making a living, and in a way, I’m kind of embarrassed,” Bakker said. “I was raising a family, and it just never really dawned on me. But I am proud to be an American. This is the best country in the world.”
Then in 2021, he earned his citizenship with the help of close friend and Wichitan Peggy Griffith.
Griffith says that Bakker shared with her his desire to vote, but she knew that earning his citizenship would be a challenge for Bakker based on logistics.
“He didn’t have access to or experience with computers and all of the technology it took to pursue citizenship. I was happy to help.”
A Different Path
Bakker, 88, owns Wichita Greenhouse at 3649 N. Arkansas. His customers span five generations and have sought his goods and expertise on everything from tulips — the flagship flower of Holland — to roses, vegetables and just about anything else that grows. His life might have been very different had he not made the United States his home.
The third child and the oldest son in a family of eight children, Bakker grew up in Voorhout, a village in south Holland. His father was a shoemaker and his mother succumbed to pneumonia when she was 39.
Despite his teachers’ advice that the promising student attend high school, he had no choice but to drop out to support the family by working in the tulip fields. For $.30 an hour, he removed spent flowers from the bulbs for replanting the next year.
“I gave everything back to my family,” Bakker said.
His reward for hard work came after Sunday family meals when he was given a cookie, a few pieces of candy and 35 cents. He budgeted 15 cents to attend the local professional soccer game — grinning as he admits to sneaking into a few.
Bakker eventually attended night school to study horticulture and earn his diploma. In early adulthood, he served two years in the Dutch Army under the country’s mandated military service. When he was discharged, Bakker’s father hoped his son would follow him into the shoe business.
“But I didn’t want to go back to living at home under rules at age 21.”
Bakker was working at Floriade, an international exhibition and garden festival held in the Netherlands, when he met Borst. Borst offered Bakker a job at his Wichita nursery earning $60 a week. The year was 1961, and Bakker eagerly accepted the offer. He learned English in part by listening to musical artists such as Elvis Presley and the Beatles.
While working for Borst he put every other check in the bank. When he received a call from a doctor in Holland informing him of his father’s failing health, he returned to his homeland and used his savings to take the elder Bakker on an extended road trip.
Freedom to sell
Back in the states, Bakker soon became the garden center manager at the Kmart then located on West Kellogg.
“The store manager turned me loose,” Bakker remembers. With freedom to choose the inventory, Bakker grew his department into Kmart’s second-busiest garden center in the country, at one point selling $1.3 million in live goods annually. Bakker also opened his own greenhouse to sell plants to the public during his days off from Kmart. That venture ultimately turned him into a wholesaler, too, as he would peddle his inventory back to Kmart — a good deal for both operations because Bakker knew firsthand what his customers there wanted.
“I brought in fresh, blooming flowers every day, and I’d line the sidewalks of Kmart with blooming hanging baskets. Sometimes we would sell 50 to 100 baskets a day,” Bakker said.
But with the introduction of technology, Bakker saw the business at Kmart change. The chain began standardizing the inventory it wanted to buy and sell, often ordering goods with a one-size-fits all mentality to stock all of its stores. Bakker says he would often receive flowers and plants that weren’t suitable for the Kansas climate.
“I was losing the ability to sell the merchandise my customers had come to know and trust. I saw the beginning of the end.”
Loves to say ‘thank you’
After 33 years, Bakker opted to take an early retirement from Kmart and concentrate on his own business, Wichita Greenhouse. It’s a job he has slowly turned over to his son, Casey Bakker, and Casey’s daughter, Krysta Bakker, although he maintains a presence in the nursery.
As Bakker reflects on more than 60 years living in the United States — through 15 presidential elections and 12 presidents — he says he should have pursued his citizenship and voting earlier but realizes it’s better late than never.
“This isn’t the country it was when I came here,” Bakker said. “As I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten more critical, but you can’t be opinionated if you’re not willing to participate in the process.”
He wishes more Americans would realize the opportunities they have without expecting a handout.
“I would like to see people be proud to be an American. Many people feel like the U.S. owes them something, but it doesn’t. You have to work to be successful,” Bakker said.
Bakker himself doesn’t like to ask for help. He’s always wanted to succeed on his own.
“I hate to say please, but I love to say thank you,” Bakker said.
Contact Sherry Graham Howerton at sgaylegraham@hotmail.com.
