Teen bomber pilot to entrepreneur: Veteran enjoys 100th birthday party in Ravenna

A man who served his country in World War II, then brought A&W to Portage County and Northeast Ohio, celebrated his 100th birthday with friends and family.

Vernon Roen marked his milestone birthday Feb. 10 at the Ravenna VFW. Dozens of people came to pay tribute to his military service, which began when he was a teenager, and share memories of the A&W franchises that began in 1956 in Ravenna.

Roen's son, Ted, and daughter-in-law, Elma, hosted the celebration.

A young pilot

Roen, who was born Feb. 3, 1924, in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, enrolled in flight school immediately after graduating high school at age 17. When he turned 18, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and became a B-24 bomber pilot in World War II.

Roen said he served 3 1/2 years, flying missions across the United States as well as Africa, Europe and Italy before returning home. "I never got a scratch," he said.

Woody Truman, veterans service officer at Portage County Veterans Services, tells the story differently. He said he and other staff spent hours with Roen discussing his military service. He said Roen flew more than 300 missions before he was shot down over Europe in March 1945. When the group asked Roen what his thoughts were as he floated to the ground in his parachute, Roen said he told them he noticed what a beautiful day it was.

He said Roen was 18 years old when he began his military service, and said he doubts that he realizes the significance of the things he did.

"I don't think he realizes how hard it would be for us if we tried to do it," he said.

Truman said it's unclear how many World War II veterans remain in Portage County. The National World War II museum estimates that of 16 million veterans of that war, 119,550 are alive today, and 131 die each day.

Missy Moore, commander of the VFW post in Ravenna, presented Roen with a shadow box that contained his medals, which included the air medal with a gold star, the Europe/Africa and Middle East Campaign with a silver star, a World War II victory medal, and the Good American Conduct Medal.

Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski hailed Roen as a "great American success story" and said he wanted to thank Roen for "being the great American hero you are."

Roen said he doesn't believe he is a hero, and a chorus of friends and family insisted that he is. But he did acknowledge that he was very young when he joined the military.

"God, I look at these pictures of myself, and I'm amazed," he said.

Taking a gamble on Ravenna

In 1956, Roen took what his son Ted described in 2016 as a "huge gamble." He and his first wife, Lila Jean, sold their home in Wisconsin and moved to Ravenna, after searching for a city with a population of 10,000 to 20,000 that could support an A&W franchise. Ted Roen said his father moved his family to Ravenna "with basically nothing" and built a business where he, his brother Kevin and sister Nancy worked while growing up.

Roen said he was driving across the United States in the 1950s and met a friend in Nebraska who was running a successful A&W franchise. Roen was seeing the root beer stands popping up across Wisconsin, and was inspired to go into business for himself.

Through the years, he said, people seemed to flock to his business. Thousands of people got their first job there, including Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci, who was among the well-wishers at the party.

"It was more than I could possibly dream," Roen said. "I was always thankful for the people of Portage County."

His daughter-in-law, Elma, said Roen bought the property at the corner of East Main Street and Linden Avenue in January of that year, and the drive-in was open by May.

The Kent location opened a year later, and is still operated by Roen's son, Kevin. Ted and Elma Roen operated the Ravenna location until the store was sold in 2018. At one time, the family also owned franchises in Tallmadge and Maple Heights, but both are now closed. Elma Roen said various family members ran the franchises, because Roen was sure A&W would open more in Ohio, and he wanted them to be owned and operated by his family when that happened.

Ted Roen said his father stopped doing paperwork for the restaurant three years ago, adding that he envied his father's administrative skills.

When the Ravenna location celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2016, Ted Roen said it originally was smaller, and so was the menu, consisting only root beer, hot dogs, shakes, popcorn and barbecue beef. A few years later, burgers were added − a "burger family" that included the Papa, Mama, Baby and Teen burgers. All remain on the menu, but only the Papa Burger kept its name.

In 1956, a hot dog was 20 cents, and a coney dog was 25 cents.

"And my dad actually made a better profit than we do today," Ted Roen said then.

Mayor Frank Seman presented Roen with a proclamation to honor him. He said when he was a child, he and his friends rode their bicycles to A&W and got some root beer for their journey. However, he said, he underestimated how volatile root beer could be.

"It's an icon, that place," he said. "It's a well-deserved honor you have today."

Two wives, two lives

In 1983, Roen lost his first wife, Lila, to leukemia. They had been married for 37 years.

In 1985, he married again. He and his second wife, Katy, also have been married 37 years.

"I've had two lives with two lovely ladies," he said.

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Teen bomber pilot to entrepreneur: Veteran Vernon Roen enjoys 100th birthday party in Ravenna