Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Jack Remembers: Hackley School

Phil Campbell, a small town in northwest Alabama, got hit by a tornado recently. Lo and behold, men by the name of Phil Campbell came from all over the country and England to help clean up their namesake according to the TV news.

I also have always liked my name. Several years ago, I was selling units of limited partnerships in farms located in my area. I also had a farm operation including raising hogs. I had several dozen investors from the Kansas City area and decided to expand into New York City where the money is. I had a list of potential investors including doctors and corporate executives. I sent them a letter saying I would be in town, and headed to New York City.

First on my list was the President of Hanes Hosiery. When I got in the city I called for an appointment. His secretary answered and when I said I would like to meet with him, she said he was so busy that it would be impossible, but when I insisted she said, “Wait a minute”. I could hear her talking to someone. She came back on the phone and said he would make time to see me and to come right up to the 50th floor where they were located in a high rise office building. I was ushered in to the most lavish office I have ever been in. When I told him I was a hog farmer from Oak Grove, Missouri, and wanted him to invest in a farm, he exclaimed “A hog farmer from Missouri!” Then he said, “My two kids go to a private preparatory school, one of the most prestigious in the United States called The Hackley School in Terrytown, NY. When my secretary said Hackley, I thought you were someone from the school. I am not interested in a farm in Missouri.” He had me escorted the fifty floors down and out into the street.

If Hackley School ever gets hit by a tornado, I will not be there.

Jack can be reached at PO Box 40, Oak Grove, MO 64075 or jackremembers@aol.com

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