INTRODUCTION
1945 was a watershed year for America. It was a dividing line culturally for those born before and after that year. Those born between 1931 and 1945 are the smallest generation since the early 1900s. We are the last that can remember climbing out of the Great Depression, the winds of war, and World War II.
We had discipline enforced by family and teachers. We often grew up without a telephone and had no television. But we mostly felt secure about our future even though we deeply remembered the Depression and poverty around us. Those born in our generation still alive have now outlived 99% of all the people in the world born in that era. We are the “One Percenters.”
We know that we have lived in the best of times. We were given a golden opportunity as America rose as a superpower. And we benefitted from older family and friends who instilled in us a work ethic and a savings mentality forged by their own economic hardship. One of that generation is my dear friend George.
MY FRIEND GEORGE
He will be 86 years old tomorrow. He has been my friend for 77 years. He has taught me lessons that cannot be learned in school – what is important in life, setting goals, and working to achieve them. His has been a remarkable life. This is his story, and it is a privilege to share it.
GROWING UP – HARD TIMES
An early Christian upbringing shaped his values. His family established a local Church of Christ and a Methodist Church in 1882-83.
He was born in 1938 in Clemmons, North Carolina. Perhaps two hundred residents, a paved highway and an unpaved rural road were its main intersection. The nearest traffic light was ten miles away.
His father, worked at a dairy barn, milking cattle. Work began at 3:30am and ended at 8:30pm. Pay was $1.00/day, $.06/hour for milking cows by hand and cleaning the barn.
George has some vivid childhood memories. Their home was heated by a coal burning stove. One morning after his father left for work, the stove malfunctioned, spewing carbon monoxide. George and his mother were near death when he finally awoke and alerted her.
An uncle, a soldier in World War II, spent nearly five years in the Pacific theater. He returned home extremely ill, and for a brief time lived with George’s family, sleeping on a sofa. George had a tiny bedroom.
AN ENTREPRENEUR
“An entrepreneur is someone who does things that he or she doesn’t know can’t be done.” Sam Zell
George exhibited early entrepreneurial skills. At 7, he saved and sold scrap copper to buy a $5.00 bicycle. On Saturday mornings, he would ride his bike a mile to the local barbershop. From 8am until noon, he shined shoes for $.10. One local businessman always gave him $.25.
His mother had a florist shop. At 8, George planted thousands of pansies for sale. One of his big customers was the CEO of R. J. Reynolds.
When he was 11, at the county fair George saw a wrecked car belonging to a daredevil driving act. His 9-year-old cousin and he bought the car for $25. With some help, they repaired the wreck, converting it into a pickup truck. George would drive it to the community business center. A deputy sheriff told George that he should confine his driving to his home area, else he would get a citation.
At age 12, he bought a reel lawnmower, a manual “push” mower, but with a motor. George cut five neighbors’ yards weekly for $5 each. He also mowed the cemeteries at the Baptist and Methodist Churches for $25 each. His weekly income was $75. ($950 - 2023) Enterprising for a 12-year-old boy.
George graduated from high school in 1956. With no interest in college, he took a job at a local HVAC company for $46 a week, saving $25 weekly. Many of his classmates got a job at Reynolds Tobacco, an excellent employer. George tried and failed. But he knew that he wanted more than a work-a-day life. His determination would pay off.
His story will continue in Part II.
This is a [LINK] to a video. George recalls his life and times.
Happy birthday George!
Looking to watching full you video 👌