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 Ran into Herb Collins the other day down by the
school. He volunteers there, from time to time, helping kids with
their math homework, and trying to recruit future members of The
Great World of Business.
He loved business, back in the days when he lived in the city and
ran the pawn shop. For years now, ever since he hung up his
jeweler’s loupe, he’s told us that there was an excitement to making
the right deal.
“It has to be right for the customer and for me, or it isn’t right
at all,” Herb always says. “You can do that and make several people
happy and earn a living. There’s no need to take unfair advantage of
someone just to earn a living.”
Our little town is a bit tame after city life, but it’s Herb’s
wife’s home town and she wanted to come back here to live after he
retired. So Herb turned to helping kids understand how wonderful
business can be. He’s advised kids on the most effective way of
delivering newspapers on their bicycles, he’s suggested advertising
gimmicks for kids with summer lemonade stands, and he’s helped
several boys market their skills with a lawn mower. You can take the
man out of the business, I guess, but it’s hard to take the business
out of the man. [to top of second
column] |
So after the shaking hands and
the how-are-yous, we talked about kids and business, and the new
crop of youngsters coming up this year. I couldn’t help thinking ol’
Herb might jump at the chance to dive back in the world of commerce
again, but he disabused me of that right away.
“All through with that,” he
said, shaking his head. “I was a successful businessman and now I’m
successfully retired.”
Successfully retired?
“That’s right,” he grinned. “I have a wife and a television set, and
they both work.”
[Text from file
received from
Slim Randles]
Brought to you by our radio show, “Home Country with Slim Randles.”
Let us know if you like it. I know you know how to find it.
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