Paradigms and Shared Vision LO4908

Ray Evans Harrell (mcore@soho.ios.com)
Tue, 16 Jan 1996 02:13:40 -0500

Replying to LO4877 --

Barry Mallis asked:
>Is the chief at the Malden Mill, which burned to the
>ground in Massachusetts, a dying breed? He, after all, continues to give
>full wages to his vast workforce during reconstruction, rather than
>pulling up stakes and rebuilding in South Carolina, Singapore or China.

I don't know where this breed went either. My Father taught me
that, "if we were responsible enough to hire someone, we were
responsible enough to care that they could have a life." He
proved this by refusing raises that the school system would
give to him because he couldn't raise his teacher's wages as
well. His salary was $3,500 for a year's work as Superintendent
of Schools on the Quapaw reservation. They ate the non-Indian
administrators for lunch and dinner. None ever lasted more
than a year until my Father came. He was a "bridge" and was
there for twelve years. When he left a group of his ex-students
gave him a party at the ranch house of one of the students.
These were all students that he had developed work study jobs
for under vocational education. The poverty was so bad that
he limited the jobs to those who needed them the most although
anyone could study. We all understood. They built houses,
developed the town, built a park and helped the local businessmen.
When they gave the party, the only qualification for admission
was that they had been in my Father's work program and that they had
earned a million dollars in their work since that time. The
large ranchhouse was full. This was one of my Father's proudest
moments that he remembered and spoke of with a tear of pleasure
until he "crossed over."

--
Ray Evans Harrell
The Magic Circle Opera Repertory Ensemble, Inc. 
200 West 70th Street, Suite 6-c
New York City, New York 10023-4324
212-724-2398
mcore@soho.ios.com