This is the “auld lang syne” time of year and in honor of that, I’d like to share a little essay of mine that was recently published in the Macon newspaper about my first boss, Dan Hamilton. Dan, who still lives in that area, called me right up when his friends found the article in the paper! It’s always great to chat with him on the phone. I worked for Dan in high school and as the years roll by, I admire and appreciate him more and more.
At 16 years old, I wanted to work in a service station –– not a pump-n-pay mini-mart outfit but a real-deal service station that repaired and maintained cars and trucks. My father had landed a job at Warner Robbins AFB and while middle Georgia may not have been my first choice for relocation, it turned out to be a lucky spot for me. I walked into the right person at the right place at the right time and that person was Dan Hamilton, owner of the Byron Texaco in Byron, GA.
When I walked in the door and asked if they were hiring, Dan asked me if I’d ever worked in a service station before. I hadn’t, I said, but I was handy with a wrench and had built a running 1952 Chevy pickup out of a pair of old ones that didn’t run. Dan liked that. He hired me on the spot and I worked there until after I graduated from high school.
Walking into the Byron Texaco turned out to be better luck for me than I could have imagined. Turns out that Dan was an expert mechanic who enjoyed a great reputation not only for his mechanical skill but for his integrity. I didn’t know this when I walked in the door, but it didn’t take long to discover. Over the years I’ve also learned how well the lessons and skills I learned from Dan have served me — and not only as an equipment appraiser and a business owner. Working with Dan taught me a lot about the importance of honesty, integrity and generosity.
An unexpected bonus of the job was the station’s relatively poor location. Although Byron Texaco was right off I-75, it was on the low traffic side of the intersection which did not lend itself to selling a lot of chips and soda to folks filling up their gas tanks and getting on with their travels. Although we did provide a fair amount work for travelers in need of repairs such as water pumps, fan belts, radiator hoses, and tire repair or replacement, the core of the business involved more complicated and more interesting work. My after-school and weekends were full of the kinds of greasy mechanical labor I’d hoped for: tune-ups, carburetor overhauls, suspension work, trouble shooting, radiator repair, etc.
Dan quickly saw that I was in fact handy with a wrench and he never missed a chance to expand my mechanical horizons! One day I walked in to find a 1954 Hudson Hornet in one of the bays. Dan introduced me to the owner and announced that this was a special car for a special customer and from now on the Hornet would be my special responsibility. This car, as you may know, had an intricate suspension with over 40 grease fittings. I proceeded to memorize where each of the grease fittings were; I kept them all properly lubricated as well as tracking and taking care of other routine maintenance as needed.
I had other learning opportunities as well. When Dan purchased a Sun tune-up machine for the shop, he took me along to the training classes. Over the multi-week course, I was happy to add studying for automotive repair to my more standard high school homework. And of course, I was proud to be able to use the new technology in the shop. Dan sure knew how to keep me interested in his business!
As much as I appreciated learning mechanical chops from Dan, my most valuable lesson came late one rainy winter night. I was scheduled to close up. As Dan walked to his truck, ready to get home to his family after a long day, in drove a dilapidated car that even I could tell was rather ill. Dan took one look and stopped. He turned back to me and said “I’ll get this one.”
The man driving got out and talked to Dan for awhile. His wife and little girl got out of the car. We hadn’t had many out-of-town black families stopping in Byron and it was clear from their faces and their clothes that they were down on their luck and needed a miracle. Before I knew it the car was in the shop, I was putting on some new gently worn tires, and Dan was under the hood doing some repairs. Later Dan shook the man’s hand and his family drove off into the rainy Georgia night. As Dan was washing up to finally go home I said, but they didn’t pay. Dan just said, “Yeah, I know.” In that instant I learned a valuable lesson in generosity and humility.
Over the decades, I often thought about Dan and his family but I hadn’t seen him since I’d left Georgia in the early 1980’s. In 2014 ASA’s International Appraisal Conference was held in Savannah, GA. As soon as the conference was over I headed west through the cotton fields to see Dan and his sweet wife Shirley. Working with Dan at the Byron Texaco was the high point of my high school years and it was a pleasure to personally thank him for all he had taught me.
