EXTENDING TOBACCO ROAD
ORIGIN OF “TOBACCO ROAD”
The term “Tobacco Road” came into common use in 1932 - the title of a novel about poor, rural degenerates in Georgia. But North Carolina, not Georgia, has been the center of the tobacco industry, and over the years the derogatory term took on a completely different meaning. In the early 1950s, the four major universities in North Carolina developed an intense basketball rivalry. National sportscasters at their games began to refer to the region where these schools were located as “Tobacco Road.”[i]
My “Tobacco Road” is not a physical highway; rather it is my life and times for 83 years – a personal journey that was dictated in many ways by tobacco.
ADDING MORE MILES TO THE ROAD
So, my life journey is a trip down a Tobacco Road. Thankfully, the journey has not ended, and my book and posts have extended my Road to people and places that I never expected. Beginning a year ago, the subscriber list has grown from 564 to over 1,400. Posts are now being opened up to 2,000 times, depending, I assume, on the level of interest the title generates.
The first post readers were, as expected, my contemporaries or those whose families were involved in tobacco. But a surprising second group of readers emerged – analysts and investors who actively follow the tobacco industry and tobacco company stocks. They vary widely in age, background, and location. But they share a single common goal – to identify opportunities to invest in these stocks. And some readers find my comments on general investing helpful. I cannot tell how many post followers there are in each category. A few hundred I know personally, but most I do not.
The group of avid tobacco analysts comes from at least 18 states in America and 9 foreign countries. And with some pride, I have learned that a few of the top tobacco analysts with major firms follow the posts, concentrated in New York and London.
I recently had an unexpected opportunity to meet one of the most dedicated tobacco followers. He learned that I would be passing through Milan, and he invited me to lunch, requesting that I sign his copy of my book. This was a delightful experience, making me feel like an international personality. The lunch extended to a dinner with his family and friends. This was a trip on Tobacco Road far beyond anything I ever expected, and I hope there will be more opportunities to make new friends face-to-face. But this meeting was special because the young man introduced me to his fiancée. Their wedding was four days later. I wish them health and happiness and hope they will remain my friends until the end of my trip.
(Please see end note [ii])
THANKS
“Thanks to you loyal readers. I want to increase readership and extend Tobacco Road, and I need your help. Please give me feedback on what you like and what you do not to make the material more relevant. My goal is to continue the posts with a mix of content that will keep everyone engaged. If you have a topic of special interest, let me know and I will do my best to address it.
[i] The story of how this rivalry developed and flourished is worth a Post of its own, to be presented later. The four schools are Duke University, North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Wake Forest University. All four schools have been the beneficiaries of enormously generous contributions from tobacco wealth. Duke and Wake Forest owe their existence to the state’s two wealthiest tobacco men.
[ii] Air Traveler Alert – Anyone traveling by commercial airline, and most importantly internationally, should make every effort to use only carry-on luggage. Do NOT check baggage unless absolutely necessary. Bags from missed and cancelled flights are piling up at airports, and airlines are failing to deal with the problem. On my return from Italy, I missed a connection in Munich and my bag was not transferred to the next available flight. From the Munich airport, the bag disappeared down a rabbit hole. After filling out innumerable forms at the Charlotte airport on my return, more forms online, repeated calls to the airline “help” line, and one trip back to the airport, my bag was still not delivered after 19 days. On day 20, the airline delivered to me a large red suitcase (mine was a small brown one) that belonged to someone with a different name in Greensboro, NC (80 miles away). I rejected it, but the airline website showed that my bag was delivered. After more frantic calls to airline people from Charlotte to India, I gave up. On day 24, I got a call from a man in Greenville, SC (90 miles away) who said that Fedex had left my bag along with his at his front door that morning. When my bag finally arrived, one of its feet had been broken off. So, if you insist that you cannot get by without that big checked bag, don’t say you weren’t warned.