Steve Schroeder did not graduate from Wichita State, but he was haled as a Shocker nonetheless. He owned Kirby's Beer Store, a longtime favorite Wichita and campus bar.
A former teacher and banker, Schoeder purchased Kirby’s in 1993 from Richard Davies and retained the bar’s signature mix of new-music live performances, eclectic clutter and intimacy.
He also welcomed and built a loyal clientele base that included employees and regulars who enjoyed his openness to new bands and new music, his interest in playing on and sponsoring softball teams — and the vegetable garden he grew every year. “He loved Kirby’s,” says Schoeder’s sister Nancy Haas. “He considered the people who worked here and came here as family.”
Tacked to one of Kirby’s walls is a page with hand-written messages to the bar’s most recent owner. One says simply: “Miss you much.” Schroeder died May 1, in Wichita.
