Carla Clark | For The Republic Tom Dell and Kathy Dell pose for a photograph outside of Dell Brothers, Inc., store in Columbus, Ind., Monday, August 19, 2024.
Kathy Dell is embarking on a new chapter in a life that is already packed with accomplishments. She’s been a musician, a teacher at the elementary and college levels, an administrator at an arts organization, and, recently, working with her husband, Tom, as they wind down operations at Dell Brothers Inc. clothing store, a downtown fixture since 1916.
Kathy is originally from Evansville. She knew from early childhood that she had a passion for music.
“I used to sit at the kitchen table and pretend I was playing the piano,” she said.
Her grandmother bought her first piano, and she still has it. She’d been taking lessons for a few years until the fifth grade, when she was asked to choose a band instrument to study. Her second- grade teacher had played the flute for the class, and Dell loved the sound of it, so that was her choice.
Her first flute instructor was the principal flutist with the Evansville Philharmonic.
“That gave me an amazing foundation,” she said.
Her family moved to Columbus during her teen years, but she went to the University of Evansville for her undergraduate degree, and to her delight, her second-grade teacher came to her graduation recital. Her next step was earning a master’s degree from Butler University.
She and Tom met in an oriental carpet store in the first iteration of the Commons in downtown Columbus. They married in 1978 and have a son, Spencer, who lives in Fishers and has a marketing career.
Dell was involved with the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic from the inception.
“I was there when the office was in a little storage closet in the Commons,” she recalled.
The philharmonic is now located in its own building, Haddad Hall, on Franklin Street. Over the years, in addition to playing flute in the orchestra, she has served on the education committee, the board of directors and as librarian and personnel manager.
When longtime conductor David Bowden announced he was retiring, she thought of doing likewise but decided to stay on one more season as the organization searched for a replacement.
“I’m glad I did,” she said. “It was a fascinating season, working with all these candidate conductors.”
She said of Dr. Isaac Selya, the new conductor, “He’s the perfect fit to take the organization into the future,” citing his networking with other city arts organizations and willingness to learn about the philharmonic’s history.
Upon her retirement, she was surprised to receive the philharmonic’s Golden Baton Award.
“I thought I was just going to introduce the new conductor at the first concert of the season, and I was presented with this,” she said. “It gave me an opportunity to thank all the people I’d worked with.”
The education component of Dell’s career consisted of 43 years teaching music from kindergarten through sixth grade in the BCSC system, as well as 20 years teaching music appreciation classes at IUPUC (now IU Columbus).
“I always made sure my elementary students had performance opportunities,” she noted. “We put on musicals and did residencies with the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble.”
She still attends philharmonic concerts.
“Sitting in the audience is a whole different experience from being onstage, focusing on your own part and your section,” she observed. “I love hearing all the parts of the puzzle fit together.”
So she’s retired twice, once from each component of her career. This year, she’ll retire a third time, along with her husband.
Dell Brothers Inc. was established when the the Dell family came to Columbus from Cincinnati in 1916. Tom and his brother, Mike, had been running it for the past several years, but last year, Mike developed a serious illness and passed away.
“Tom couldn’t run it by himself, so I’m helping on a part-time basis,” said Dell.
The experience gave her a fresh appreciation of what Tom had been doing for decades.
“I steam clothes, run alterations and occasionally wait on customers. It’s incredible the number of people I’ve never met before. Some are really fascinating.”
She’s also seen familiar faces, such as students she used to teach.
After selling off the store’s inventory, Kathy and Tom will take on the task of clearing out documents and mementoes that have occupied space on two floors.
“We’ve come across bank receipts from the 1920s,” she said.
Now, the two of them can begin crossing long-discussed adventures off their to-do list. One thing the couple intends to do after closing out the store is travel, and they’ve starting to formulate their dreams by planning a train trip out west. They’d also like to see if spending the winter months in Florida would suit them.
“With Tom running a clothing store and me teaching and performing, we never had a chance to do that much.”
She said she looks forward to the more leisurely pace of life they’ll have, although she feels sure that Tom, who’s known for wearing suits, will still dress sharply, even around the house.
“This third retirement is the best because Tom is in on it.”
