Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Workday Wednesday: The package clerk

Grandpa Ray Sampson moved his family from the family farm in 1922 and into Terre Haute Indiana. He began a job at Hulman and Company as a package clerk. Hulman and Company was, and still is,a wholesale grocerer and famous for Clabber Girl Baking Powder. Grandpa worked on the 6th floor, the top floor. Always a hard worker, he also was a valuable friend. One particular young man was sent to work with Grandpa when he was home from college in the summers. Grandpa just knew his  name was Tony and  Tony looked up to and respected Grandpa. A few years into the job Tony graduated from college and his father and grandfather who happened to have started the business  died.  Tony was next in line. He never forgot Grandpa, though, someone who had been his friend in the unknown days.   It turned out that this boy's  name was Tony Hulman and he became the owner of the Indianapolis  500 .Each year tickets to the race came to Grandpa in the mail. When Grandpa died, heads turned to see a quiet man enter the funeral home  and stand in line carrying a bouquet of flowers. Tony  never forgot the man who was his friend when he was really noone.  Grandpa taught that  it matters how we treat anyone on the job as a  simple package clerk.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Friday Funny: Tina gets married

Sarah Jane Benell was the sister of my great grandfather, Charles Benell who grew up in Clay County Indiana. I've been studying their line. So here goes : Aunt Sarah  married a man with the last name of Jones. They had a son named Charles (Charley) and a daughter named  Tina (Tiny).  Tiny married Oscar Butt May 29, 1918. And that is the story of how our family from then on had a Tiny Butt.