Bill Bigbee
It’s Father’s Day; so, in keeping with the spirit of the day, I was thinking about mine. What had I learned from him?
He believed that everyone should have two ways of supporting themselves. Dad had two primary careers: carpentry and insurance adjustor. He could build a box, a cabinet or a house. Estimating homeowner’s insurance losses connected naturally with his carpentry experience.
Dad was a teacher. He taught a lot of people how to “make a living,” as he put it. He coached, corrected, coerced and sometimes berated his students. They learned. Friends, neighbors, several cousins, his own sons and my sons. They have gone on to accomplish more than he ever imagined.
My cousin, Chuck, is 75 now. He was a newly wed when he began working with Dad. Chuck supported his wife and three kids with the skills Dad taught him and has continued to use it to build churches in the U.S. and Mexico. My brother and my son took Dad’s cabinet building lessons to a new level, designing and building interiors for private jets. My younger son supported himself through college working with dad on insurance jobs. Frank was retired military looking for a second career when Dad taught him insurance adjusting. Dale learned the trade from Dad and worked over 20 years until he retired to work as a full time minister. He preached Dad’s memorial service.
Some of his people development methods are those I have adopted. Some I have improved upon. One thing I know for sure: The investment we make in people is important. Teaching and developing people to enable them to be self sufficient and empowered leaves a legacy that makes individuals, families and nations strong.
Thank you, Dad.
© 2009 Linda M. Farley
