My oldest son, Dr. Steven Hackley, is a psychology professor at the University of Missouri at Columbia. He does research and also teaches. My daughter, Jackie Sommer, lives in Independence and is an attorney, working in the Jackson County Counselors Office. Take either one of them out of their profession, they would probably have a hard time making a living. My youngest son John is just the opposite, he was one of those kids who could do anything. He attended vo-tech school at Fort Osage and is now one of the top salespersons for Office Depot after having educated himself in computers and sales. He sells to corporate clients and teaches them how to order online.
When John was eleven years old, I gave him a 135 Massey Ferguson tractor and rotary mower. He called the railroad and got the job cleaning up and mowing the railroad right of way through Oak Grove. He also mowed weeds around the local home builders developments. He made so much money with that tractor and mower that when he was sixteen years old he bought himself a brand new pickup truck. At that time he also owned twenty head of brood sows and was loaning money to his older sister and brother.
One day the railroad called me up and said they wanted to come down to Oak Grove and talk to John Hackley. He had done such a good job on the right of way going through town that they wanted him to give them a price on cleaning up and mowing sixteen miles of right of way in Independence. I told them he was terribly busy and there was just no way he could do the job at this time. I failed to tell them he was only twelve years old.
Jack can be reached at PO Box 40, Oak Grove, MO 64075 or jackremembers@aol.com
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