Friendships And Their Value

Over the years, I’ve had the wonderful privilege and honor to welcome so many friends and acquaintances into my home who have crossed my path on my long journey through life. You have to understand how important I feel about honoring the simple act of friendship when it is bestowed between two individuals.  

I am grateful for that act every time it has been provided to me, and I consider it an honor that I will carry for the rest of my lifethat I have remaining. Some of those friendships extend back to my days as a veteran, as a firefighter in Concord, New Hampshire, and those experiences during the timesI served as a Deputy Sheriff, for it is therewhere one man or woman places his life in the hands of another. 

We, of course, create those lasting bonds of friendship in other settings, which are experienced as part of life’s journey. Some through our times during educational pursuits and or the workplace. This weekend, I had the opportunity to welcome one such old friend who is a fraternity brother. I’ve come to enjoy his friendship during the last 38 years. It's ironic that I met his older brother,who is also a member of that same fraternitywhen I pledged50 years ago. 

The younger Paul Hogan had recently retired from his duties at the New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord, where he taughtat the college level for many years as well as becoming their Athletic Director and coaching varsity sports for that school. It was like we hadn’t missed a beat in all those years, and he would catch me up on his family and other friendships we have shared over the years.It was a great one-on-onereunion.His older brother Jim had also had a distinguished career in education and coaching in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire before retiring.  

We also spoke about the wonderful program of basketball camps that Paul has createdover his many years. In those camps, he taught a love of the sport while teaching the basic skill sets that will provide those youngsters with the foundation to play competitively and with a high level of sportsmanship on the junior high and high school levels throughout New Hampshire.  

Over this same weekend, I was saddened to hear from the daughter of a man whom I considered a mentor and great friend in the industry I spent almost 45 years in both domestically and on the international scene. She was calling to inform me that her dad had passed over St. Patrick’s Day weekend after an unsuccessful battle with bone cancer. 

She also told me of her father’s desire for privacy and his unwillingness to bother his friends with the battle he was fighting. 

A.J. Heller III was a true mentor, always reminding me to retain my moral compass and work as hard as I could to help our distribution and service organizations rise to a level they might not have believed possible, by helping them to believe in themselves and instilling within them a sense of pride in their companies missions. 

Keeping me on the straight and narrow must have been a herculean feat for Arnold, and we’d laugh about that on many occasions and reflect on our numerous challenges and accomplishments. 

I only discovered Marco Island because I joined him on the drive south from Orlando one weekendwhile I was at our plant in Orlando between factory visits of our customers from the Northeast. That factory visit required me to stay down over the weekend to greet the second set of customers on Monday. 

When we arrived at the Hitching Post Mobile Home Park on the East Trail in Naples, his mother and dad met us both with bear hugs. His dad immediately promised to take us to his favorite spot where he promisedtheyhad the coldest beer and the best cheeseburger. After only one hour,I was immediately sold on both the Snook Inn and the island. As we came across the bridge onto Marco,I fell in love, as many of you have shared similar tales. 

The Snook was a lot different back then; it was a true fishing camp, a sort of place where anglers parked outside their rooms in the parking lot, and their boats were launched down by the river. Within six months,I purchased my first condo and the rest was history. 

When FMC closed our division, A.J. convinced me to stay on and I assisted with deliveries as we closed down the division of the corporation. He and I were some of the last to walk out of the parking lot together.  

The corporation had offered me a job within the company that would have placed me as a District Manager running the Middle East and Northern Africa, but I ended up declining because they wanted me to live in London.  

I chose instead to accept a position with another large service provider to the fire industry on both the industrial and municipal sides of the business. I ran distribution here in the southeast from Florida going west to Louisiana and north to Washington, D.C. All I had to do was live near a commercial airport. 

I was in heaven; no more snow in New Hampshire and living on Marco Island. A.J. Heller, I have you to thank for your firm guidance over the many years I would call you my boss and my friend and who was also instrumental in introducing me to this great spot. 

Friendship is the greatest gift one can bestow upon another. Never take it for granted and always be there for one another, for these are special bonds that take us through life’s journey.