1940‘s
1946
Amidst turmoil between the founding brothers, in 1946 F.M. Brooks left Nelsonville; however his son, John Brooks, aged 25, chose to remain in the area and continued to raise a family with his wife Gloria. During this time the couple welcomed their third child and first son, Mike Brooks — who ended up becoming Chairman and CEO for more than 30 years.
With remaining founder William Brooks at the helm business continued to grow. The company sold more than one million pairs of shoes and boots for military conflicts such as World War II and the Korean War.
During the 1940's William Brooks Shoe Co. built relationships with leading footwear retailers Sears Roebuck Co., JC Penney, Kinney Shoes, Thom McCan where most of the shoes they made were sold.
The company printed a monthly newsletter during this time called “The Babbling Brooks” to keep employees and their families informed about their local service members, and other current news and events.
