The Hutchison family had deep roots in Kansas, with both Ted and Betty born near Huron, Kansas, where their parents and grandparents had also lived. Ted and Betty married in 1938, farmed east of Everest in the early 1940s, and then moved to Everest with their three young children, Sharon, Tom, and Peggy. Although farm life had been good for the family, Ted chose to join the postwar economic growth in another way by owning and operating the Hutchison Implement Company from 1949 to 1962. In 1956, Allis-Chalmers Corporation honored Hutchison Implements with an Appreciation Day for its 1955 sales achievement, and the entire community was invited to celebrate as more than 2,800 people were served a barbecue pork and beef lunch on Main Street with entertainment by the Everest High School Band. Betty worked as a bookkeeper, supported Ted as he built the business, and was remembered by their children as the best mother they could have hoped for.