As a freshman at the University of Kansas, Doug Stark was elected social chairman of his fraternity, then re-elected twice more.
“Everybody who knows me knows I love to entertain,” he said. “I put on really good parties.”
That hasn’t changed, although Stark now leads a group called the Grumpy Old Men, who raise money for good causes while having a good time doing it.
That and a long list of other civic-minded activities got him named Wichita’s “Uncommon Citizen” by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce last month.
Stark was surprised when chamber representatives “barged into” his office to break the news.
“This thing totally came out of the blue. I didn’t know I was apparently checking the boxes to be even in the running for this award.”
Stark returned to Wichita after KU and became a Big Brother at age 22. “I’m really proud to say that my ‘little brother’ is known as Mr. Ashbrook at Collegiate and has been for many years,” Stark said, referring to Christopher Ashbrook, the school’s dean of middle school students.
Through a church, Stark and the late Carolyn Grier of Eby Construction tutored students at Colvin Elementary in Plainview. “I absolutely loved it.”
He became one of the Rotary Club’s youngest members in his mid- 20s, served as president and is still active in it 40 years later. The club’s Reading is Fundamental program is one of his favorites.
“We go to read to kids and give them books. That is good for my heart.”
The Grumpy Old Men were started in 2007 by Stark’s father, Charles, who died eight years ago. Shepherding the group today “was just something I had to keep doing because it was so cool and it was my way of honoring my dad.”
The group collects dues from about 85 members each year. Stark produces two events each year — typically concerts — and a member dinner, and leftover proceeds are given to a charitable organization each spring.
“We are just at giving $2.75 million over the years to charity in Wichita,” he said. “The money all stays here.”
Most recently, the group brought KC and the Sunshine Band to town for a packed show at the Orpheum.
In the business world, Stark is known for — along with his outgoing nature and untucked shirts — leading ComfortCare Homes, which provide care in a group home setting for people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. He actually started out in the pizza business as a Little Caesar’s franchisee, opening seven stores here in 2 1/2 years (a move he calls “nutty” with Pizza Hut being headquartered here at the time).
In 1995 he sold those stores and joined his father in ComfortCare, which was started as a result of his family’s personal experience.
“We all cared as a family for my dad’s parents, both of whom had dementia in the ’80s,” he said.
The ComfortCare concept was so new that the state didn’t have regulations for it. Stark credits state officials with being open to the idea. At the time, skilled nursing facilities were about the only other option.
“They thought the idea was stupendous and said go for it. They said, ‘We’re going to watch you real hard over the next few years.’”
In 1998, the Kansas Legislature created the Home Plus category for ComfortCare and similar providers, who are regulated by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. There are now almost 200 Home Plus homes across the state.
ComfortCare operates nine homes in Wichita and Newton, serving just over 90 people. Stark said part of its success is in creating a homey atmosphere.
“Many times, the families we’re meeting with, about grandma or whoever, they’ll say grandma’s got this dog she absolutely adores. We say ‘bring the dog.’ It’s an opportunity to put their loved one not in a facility but in a residential home.”
Stark and his wife, Kathi, have four children and four grandchildren. One daughter, Kasey, works with him at ComfortCare. Kathi, Kasey and ComfortCare CEO Micala Gingrich-Gaylord knew of the Uncommon Citizen award before Doug, and Kathi wasted little time in kidding him about it.
“Kathi immediately said, ‘Uncommon citizen? That certainly is an accurate description,’” Stark said. “That has been played back to me by a number of folks. Apparently, there’s a lot of folks who think uncommon is a good name for me.”
