Heroes and Mentors: Why They’re Necessary
(Pardon the typos in this entry — The ‘moment’ struck me to write this entry over a few glasses of wine, and so, this is a ‘rush’ copy of my thoughts. I’ll fix the errors later. The ‘perfectionist’ within is definitely on vacation on this one!)
Let’s get right to it: Without dreams, heroes and mentors, I probably wouldn’t be typing this entry right now. There were many times in my life where I wanted to call it quits and move on throughout the cosmos and (hopefully) be rebirthed into a new existence. While I’ve never had a ‘hard’ life, it certainly hasn’t been easy, either.
When I look back on my life, the one thing I wanted more than anything was a stable household filled with two loving parents. I struggled for years to deal with the absence of my father, yet I understood that part of his absence was due to matters beyond his control. Craving male influence, I sought out male figures early on in my life.
In this post, I salute the many men who have influenced and shaped my life over the years — Even to this day:
1. Uncle Rufus — In many ways, Uncle Rufus became the father I always needed. We spent time fishing together, talking about life, and doing things any father and son would do. I can vividly recall the moments we shared together, the fish we caught and the many conversations we had. Uncle Rufus was an amazing man, one filled with love, lots of heart and soul, and a love for family. Unfortunately, he was taken away in the early 90s during a hunting trip in Mississippi.
Uncle, thank you for your inspiration and guidance. You’ll always be in my heart.
2. Michael McDonald — Michael’s music was in my blood — Probably since the time I was born. Through my father, I was somehow became hooked on the Doobie Brothers, and after hearing ‘On My Own’ and ‘Sweet Freedom’ one too many times, I sought out Michael’s solo albums for my pure indulgence at the tender age of 15. My first Michael McDonald tape was ‘Take It To Heart’. Through Michael’s music, I learned even more the meaning of love, life and sacrifice.
I am thankful for our friendship. Michael’s music has been a guiding light for me.
3. Ken Reed — In 1995, I took my first tour of J.B. Hunt’s Detroit Terminal. There, I met their then Terminal Manager, Kenneth J. Reed. He was expecting some ‘rich kid’ from the suburbs when he received orders from headquarters to give me a tour; Instead, he met me, a product of a single-parent household who was craving positive male influence and direction. I adopted him as my ‘Godfather’.
Ken, who’s almost 60 years old, has been an amazing and strong figure in my life. I am indebted to him for all he’s instilled in my life.
4. J.B. Hunt — In 1993, I wrote Johnnie Bryan Hunt, Chairman of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc, at the young age of 13. I’d grown accustom to seeing his trucks on the highway, and given my love for big trucks, I was inspired to personally write him. That one letter sparked an amazing relationship with a multi-billion dollar corporation, many friendships and a lot of invaluable knowledge over the years.
5. Donald Schneider — In 1993, soon after writing J.B. Hunt, I reached out to Donald Schneider, President of Schneider National Carriers, Inc., to learn more about the trucking industry and principles to lead a successful life in business. Donald was kind enough to personally respond with a lot of company information and we’d remain in touch over the years about his company, life and other things.
6. Bill Gates — In 1995, I was determined to make contact with Bill Gates and add another inspiration figure to my roster. Bill’s first e-mail to me was to wish me a happy 15th birthday. When I received his response, I smiled, but I also felt pretty stupid that he even responded to such a request. Regardless, Bill taught me that anything was possible in life, and through his accessibility, I was able to learn a lot about Microsoft and what it took to succeed in life.
7. Dave Taylor — I first met Dave in 2005 here in Denver. I thought he was an interesting fellow, but our friendship wouldn’t solidify until two years later. Dave is interesting in that, like everyone else on this list, he’s a very low-key guy, despite his enormous success over the years. Dave has been a great and welcomed figure in my life. He’s a great individual and a wonderful human being. I respect him greatly.
8. Stephen Hultquist — I met Stephen via a Yahoo! Internet group. He was ’sitting’ on one of the e-mails I sent to the group. We eventually met and the rest is history. Stephen is a renowned book author, life coach, Virtual CIO and entrepreneur. He also writes for InfoWorld, which is a very cool technology magazine. Stephen has shared a lot of wisdom and business intelligence with me over the past two years. Stephen doesn’t yet know it, but he’s been an instrumental part in my growth. I am indebted to him for his generosity, friendship and kindness.
9. Collie Cook — Collie is 19 years my senior. This isn’t really a big deal, because most of my friends are almost twice my age (I seem to attract very wise, accomplished and wise, influential men to my life). Collie has been an amazing friend and mentor in my life. We’ve shared many laughs over the years and even at 47 today, he’s still a riot!
There was a time when his Mom questioned why he was hanging around a young guy like myself. At the time, I guess she was incapable of realizing our relationship and the profound and great impact he was having upon my life. Collie is a great guy and a wonderful friend. He’s definitely a well-respected individual in my life.
10. All the other great male heroes and mentors in my life. There isn’t enough room to list everyone! You know who you are and you’re all special to me! All of these great and wonderful men have made an amazing impact on my life. I seriously don’t know where I’d be without them. They’ve been an instrumental part in my growth and learning in life.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
With love,
Ron
Related posts you might find of interest: