A Column in Infancy

As Maurice Chevalier often sang, “Thank goodness for little girls“. I was blessed with two lovely girls. I was also blessed with a son who I‘m sure will, as time goes on, may just show up in this blog from time to time.

When it was suggested that I create a blog called “Advice to my daughters” I had to stop and think about the advice I may have given them. Both have become successful business people and looking back, they got there on their own and, I am sure, would have, advice from me or not. Having said that, I hope you’ll forgive me if I write about advice, experiences, perhaps what I learned over the years and things that we did and learned together. To write about advice alone, could become pretty boring to the reader.

I believe the most important advice everyone should have is to develop a strong work ethic. Very few people will be successful in life if they are not willing to work for it. I was fortunate to work for Eastern Air Lines for many years. Capt. Eddy Rickenbacker, the World War 1 flying ace and founder and President of Eastern, was a great example of work ethic. Capt. Eddy came from a very poor family and little education. As a young man he applied for a job in a Detroit automobile factory. He was turned down for lack of experience. Walking through the factory he saw how dirty the floors were. He found a broom and started to sweep the floor. To make a long story short, he got the job and later on founded the Rickenbacker automobile. As they say, you know the rest of the story. He passed away in 1973 but the aviation industry of today has much to thank him for.