Thinking About My Dad

[Deep C]

The longest night of the year holds special meanings for me. 50 years ago last night I was conceived... 13 years ago this morn my Dad passed away... No this thread isn't meant to be a downer... More a tribute to one very special guy...

He was a Fortune 500 CEO for years, retiring from Puolator and directing NASCAR along with sitting on several other boards of directors... People always looked at me funny that I never took advantage of the contacts and followed his route.. He would have frowned on that... He was adamant that each of his kids follow their own paths and not ride his coat tails. We respected that and he in turn respected us for what each of us has done with our own lives...

He was a remarkable communicator. Friends with Presidents and Royalty but equally comfortable hanging with the gate ticket takers at Daytona rather than sitting in his VIP suite... He was one for tossing in a little "color" just to spice things up. Maybe I get a little of that from him...

Yeah I miss him but for me he'll never really be gone. He left a little of himself in all that that were fortunate enough to know him. I raise my cup of coffee in toast to him...

This one's for you Pop...

[sportfishingusa]

he sounds like a wonderful gentleman and a great person.. it is nice when very successful people can just be the same as anyone else!!

i am sure he is proud of you no matter what you do! and i am sure he has a lot to do with your success today!

i am sure he is missed and will always be missed!!

[Ultralite]

Deep, it's a rare person who attains such lofty levels but whom can still roll up the sleeves and be at home with the average folks. He does deserve a toast.

[Robja]

Sounds like a man who never forgot where he came from. I admire people that do well in life yet never forget that money doesn't make them better than the next person. MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and your family Paul.

[Big Fish Billy]

This one's for you Pop...

Here, here........

[Deep C]

For a guy with all that power and clout he sure "regulared" up a lot... He had some pretty neat habits... Each morn he'd drive to a small diner a few miles from home... So as not to show off, he'd park the benz around back...
Sat at the counter and struck up conversation with all kinds of folk. Cops, truckers, delivery men, what or whoever... Was a great one for showing genuine interest in learning about different jobs and cultures that way...
On the other side of the coin he knew the protocols involved with talking with dignitaries and heads of state... I got a kick from watching him start with all the formalities like "your excelency' or "Mr. President" and by the time the talk was over it usually involved some pretty raunchy jokes and first name basis...
How many times I watched him give up that vip suite and go share a smoke with the gate guys at the different tracks. He loved to go fishing but more as a spectator than as an angler... His thrill in life was watching others have a good time.
Level headed as they come but always brutally clear and honest though. For example, if you were with Greenpeace the communication stopped. "F*** the whales" and the door would slam.