Rufus Travis Amis - Later Years

Later Years

During the Depression, Rufus and Carolyn lived on construction camp sites across Kansas and Oklahoma. Rufus worked as a foreman and Carolyn helped Rufus’ mother cook for the construction crew. When World War II broke out, they moved to Oklahoma City, where Amis Construction had a number of large contracts. The war years were very profitable for Amis Construction and provided the Amis family with the financial basis for future investments. When R.T. Amis, Sr. retired in the 1940s, Rufus became a minority partner with his brother, W.D. (Bill) Amis. The two built roads and dams all over the western United States. After the war, Amis Construction joined with Kerr McGee Oil Company and McKnight Construction to build and operate the Downtown Airpark in Oklahoma City. Their involvement with aviation led to their being approached to finance a start-up to manufacture a twin-engine private airplane.

In the early, 1950's Rufus left management at Amis Construction to become President of the new venture, Aero Design and Engineering Company. The new company would build the Aero Commander aircraft in a plant near Oklahoma City. During these years, "Rufe" accumulated nearly ten thousand hours of flight time and covered the country from coast to coast. By the mid-1950s, the company reached the point that it would either have to go public or sell to one of the larger established manufacturers. The Amises elected to sell to Rockwell-Standard Company.

Shortly after selling to Rockwell, Rufus exchanged his interest in Amis Construction for the company's interest in Missouri Valley Machinery Company in Omaha, Nebraska. Amis Construction had helped finance the founding of MVM Co. by Rufe and Bill's older brother, Phillip and two other partners. Established in 1945, MVM sold and serviced Caterpillar construction equipment in western Iowa and northeastern Nebraska. Phillip retired in 1957 and sold his interest to Rufus, who assumed control of MVM. MVM grew to employ 200 parts, service, and sales people in northeastern Nebraska and Western Iowa. Rufe was later joined by his sons, Travis and Fred. The family owned and operated MVM until 1983, when the company was sold and Rufus retired.