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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2009)
Page 10 The INDEPENDENT, February 19, 2009 Will You Freak-Out or Hunker Down when the going gets tough? by Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. (www.jumpstartyourmeeting.co m) Sometimes motivation is forced upon us. We are thrust into the Un-comfort Zone. And, whether we sink or swim de- pends on how we respond to the situation. How do you react during a crisis? Here are the stories of two men who faced a crisis late in life and how they dealt with it. One was a restaurant owner; the other a janitor. The former went into bankruptcy at an age when most people retire, and the latter was fired from a job he’d had for nearly 20 years. The restaurant owner en- joyed a successful business in a small town at the edge of the Appalachian Mountains. It was a great location along busy U.S. Route 25. And, because he offered the best food and service around, his eatery was jammed from sunup to sun- down. But it wasn’t to last. The janitor started his job at St. Peter’s Church in London as a teenager.Over the years he married and raised a family and enjoyed a perfectly pre- dictable profession with solid job security. That is until the new vicar came along. Over the course of 26 years, he was honored by the state governor for his recipes; and was praised by famous restau- rant critic, Duncan Hines, in his column Adventures in Good Eating. Then in1956, the new super highway by-passed the little town. It’s amazing the dif- ference just a few miles can make. Two years later the restaurant was closed and the property auctioned off to pay creditors. At 64 years old, the restaurant owner was broke. It was around the turn of the twentieth century when the new vicar, a stickler for decorum, took over St. Peter’s Church. When he learned that the jani- tor could not read, he gave him three months in which to learn. Quite depressed by the news, the man thought it might make him feel better if he smoked a cigarette. Unable to afford the cost of opening another restaurant closer to the highway, he re- viewed his assets. All he had left was his knowledge and the delicious recipes that made his food so popular. So, he got into his car. As he walked home, the jan- itor searched for a tobacco shop. There was usually one on every block, but there were none near the church. He walked block after block with- out finding one. By the time he reached his house he knew ex- actly what he was going to do. Town by town, he drove, stopping at every restaurant along the way. He told the own- ers they would be more suc- cessful if they served his secret recipes under his brand name and paid him a royalty. Two years later, in 1960, he had 400 restaurants serving his food. By 1963 he was making a profit of $300,000 per year. And, in 1964, Colonel Harlan Sanders sold Kentucky Fried Chicken to investors for $2 million, plus a lifetime salary of $75,000 per year. With his meager savings, he opened a tobacco shop near the church. It was an immedi- ate success. His profits went to open a second, then a third and before long he thriving tobacco shops all over London. Ten years later, he met with his banker about investing his earnings. The banker gave him some papers to sign. The man asked the banker to read the papers to him, explaining that he didn’t know how. Shocked, the banker exclaimed, “You are so successful, just think where you’d be today if you could read!” Albert Edward Foreman smiled and sighed, “I’d be the janitor at St. Peter’s Church.” (Based on a true story by Som- erset Maugham). Did you know that in Chi- nese, the symbol for the word “crisis” is the same symbol used for the word “opportuni- ty?” Two sides of the same coin. In other words, it’s all in our perspective. Will you find the opportunity in your next crisis? Dairy Women’s Association asks, “Do you want to be a princess?” Columbia County Chapter of the Oregon Dairy Women’s As- sociation is accepting applica- tions for candidates for County Dairy Princess Ambassador. The successful candidate rep- resents Columbia County in the Oregon Dairy Princess contest and travels around the county and state to promote good nu- trition through dairy and raise awareness about the dairy in- dustry. Columbia County has taken the State Dairy Princess title two years in a row. In 2008 Hei- di Larson from Warren was Co- lumbia County Dairy Princess and this year, 2009 Deanna Lemire from Yankton took the title in January. To enter, a girl must be at least sixteen, a high school jun- ior, and not over 23 years of age as of June 1. A candidate must be a resident of Oregon at least 12 months prior to the contest. She must be single, never mar- ried or had a child; and must not have or currently be cohabiting. Candidates must also qualify in one of these areas: Midway Veterinary Clinic Senior Discounts Open in Vernonia Wednesdays and Saturdays 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Call for appointments 503-429-1612 805 Bridge Street Vernonia Small and Large Animals A. Lived or worked on a dairy farm or facility at some time during her life; B. currently the daughter of anyone employed on an oper- ating dairy farm, C. anyone presently em- ployed as an owner or employ- ee of a milk processing plant or milk distributor, D. any person employed in a dairy- related industry. E. A member of 4-H or FFA who has had a dairy project, in- cluding raising a heifer to milk production. Qualified candi- dates should contact Diane Larson at 503-397-0418 by Fri- day, February 27. Currently, scholarship dona- tions are also being sought for outgoing Columbia County D a i r y Princess Ambas- sador, Deanna Lemire. In J a n u a r y, She was crowned the Ore- gon Dairy Princess Ambas- sador for 2 0 0 9 . Anyone wishing to contribute to schol- arships for Deanna may also Custom Arrangements Pet Supplies & Gr ooming Weddings www.creaturespetshop.com Funerals lissaedgar@yahoo.com 503-429-PETS (7387) Open Monday thru Saturday 10 am - 6 pm Closed Sundays 736 Bridge St., Vernonia VISA/Mastercard Accepted The 2009 Columbia County Dairy Princess is Deanna Lemire from Yankton. contact Diane Larson at the number above. The State Dairy Princess Ambassador can re- ceive as much as $12,000 in scholarships at the end of her reign. The Columbia County Dairy Women conduct fundraising activities through the sale of delicious shakes, sundaes, ice cream, floats, and of course milk! Funds raised help pro- vide scholarships to high school seniors for higher edu- cation for both young men and women.