A Matter of Application

The economic world surrounding these days is in a state of chaos with stock brokers in all companies looking at each other and saying, with questioning looks,"Whats going on?"but I recall a day in my young life that I asked myself that same question. The war was one of the things that was going on and it was of monumental importance. I was only 18 at that time and had secured a position as a time keeper in a war production plant. It was a converted Chevy plant that was now making airplane engines. I had been hired for a 4:00 to midnight shift and had the responsibility of walking the floor with my clipboard and verifying that all the men I checked on had printed out their time cards and were, indeed, working. No one was to print out some one else's time card to indicate they were there when they weren't. I was the keeper of the gate and a position of power was mine. Somehow the word got back to the manager of the time crew that I was all finished with my work by 8:00 P.M.--only a half of my shift. How could this be? Did I actually do my job of verifying every one's presence? "Yes I did", say I with emphasis. So for my diligence, I was moved from 4:00 to 8:00 and could now follow the process to do the 2nd shift and the 3rd shift by working from 8:00 until 4:00 A.M. doubling my efforts now to accomplish greater efficiency. I was a hotdog and was recognized for the speed with which I accomplished this feat. My walk around the very large plant was to identify each man at his post and this is where a matter of application entered the picture. Practically every man working there was Polish with names of multiple syllables. i.e. Wasikowski 846927 was at his machine. There was Bunteshefski 845466 and Oh yes, I could see Bilitnikoski 844271 and so it went . I no longer had to go up to the individuals and ask them their name and their number to make sure they were on my records and therefore were working. I was learning the hundred or so men on the two shifts by merely working down the center of the plant and spot the workers as I walked. Some of the men didn't trust my eyesight or my knowledge and would leave their machine and come running after me and say "Did you get me?" "Yes, you are Eddy Paderschefski 847912". This would bring a look of consternation to his face and he would go back to his machine. And so it went with me committing to memory all these men with their difficult names let alone their numbers. Many times when I would be walking down the street I would see a man and say to Louise, "Oh there's Bill Kazanofski 845622," and she would look at me as though I was nuts. Getting back to the confusion in our economic world and the questions on who do we bail out by giving them government money, there are a lot of arguments concerning the big three- --the auto industries. I heard Michael Savage one night and he made a profound statement of vast importance. He said, "These car industries were of tremendous value when our war with Japan took place. They were the businesses that were able to, almost immediately, go into a war time mode and gear up for the huge production of war time equipment that allowed us to become the major nation that we were intended to be". The sleeping giant had, indeed, wakened! That is a major factor in what may lie ahead of us. Will we be involved in another major conflict? Quite possibly!! Where will our facilities be when we need them? Gone: Because we didn't assist them in our economic problems? It is a dilemma that can't be under estimated. I hope that our men in power will think of that in their various machinations. What does that have to do with my memorizing all those Polish names? Probably nothing except it made me realize that I was no longer in high school, just sliding by, I was now in a position where I had to think and it became a matter of application. I hope all these men chosen to lead our country out from this chaos are applying their thought processes as well.

DON'T LOSE A PIECE

It seemed as though I went from puberty to marriage with a war in between. Does that sound unrealistic? Well listen to more of the same. Back during the thirties I became aware that I would graduate from High School at age 16. It's not that I was so smart, contrary, intelligence was not one of my long suits. Actually, I think my Mom faked my age so she could be rid of me and get some rest. As a result of this dilemma, I decided to take another year and graduate at 17.
There were very few jobs around and we had no money for college, so it was a proper decision with those conditions prevailing at that time. I even took another 6 months of post-graduate school so I wouldn't have to go to work. First of all that's a four letter word and I try to avoid words of that nature. I also didn't like to work any week that had a Tuesday in it. (Old joke).

The fact is I wanted to play baseball and would have spent the entire year at the school except the baseball coach came up to me one day and said, "Winspear, I under stand this is your 5th year." I said, "Thats right coach, and I'm still only 16." He replied, "Hells Bells kid, you can't play ball in your 5th year. I don't care how old you are." So much for dreams of a baseball career They finally asked me to leave school because I had exhausted every possible subject that was of an academic nature, and how many years of chorus and dramatics can you take?

Having no alternatives, I went job hunting. You need to remember jobs were not plentiful in those days, but with my outstanding acdemic background, I was able to get a job as an office boy. However, it was about this time that the rumors of war were prevelant and "defense jobs" were becoming available. I soon found greener pastures elsewhere. __I never did understand that expression. I rarely eat grass and from things I had heard, I certainly wasn't going to smoke it.

Well, suddenly Pearl Harbor happened and for a short time I allowed my patriotic fervor to overcome my natural sense of cowardice and I enlisted in the Navy Air Corp. I spent the next three years fighting the battles of Pensacola and Jacksonville and various other engagements of which only the elderly might be aware. During the last year and after skillfully avoiding any semblance of dangerous duty, I found myself in a wedding procession with me in the lead role. (A natural for me considering my five and one half years of dramatic training). Would you believe there were so few men left at home that I didn't even know members of my wedding party. (True) I wouldn't change one moment of my earlier days---they were great!

But God makes a great big jigsaw puzzle out of each of our lives and we face the question of placing each piece in its proper place. We have the privilege of making each day another perfect fit in our own personal jigsaw puzzle. Being the masters of our destiny, ours is the right to make the correct decisions. With our ever growing knowledge that God will help us make the proper placement, we can create a beautiful play with ourselves as the main characters in this drama. Make the correct decision regarding your lives and you will never lose a piece.

MY BEST FRIEND

I have spoken before about the good friends that I have been fortunate enough to have but of them all, Nick is really my best friend. It all happened on a tennis court playing with Paul. It seemed each week when we scheduled our game we were placed on the court adjacent to two other guys. After several weeks in which we were friendly enough to exchange greetings, one of them came to my locker row and asked, "How much tennis are you playing"? I replied, "only once a week". He then said, "well, my name is Nick Camm and I would like to play once a week with you". To make a long story somewhat shorter, I agreed and we began to play. Now as it turned out, I found his favorite expression after I hit the ball was to shout "OUT"! It became my favorite jibe at him on many occasions. Of course the ball wasn't out. It could be in the middle of the court and if he knew he couldn't return it---- "OUT"!

He turned out to be a very friendly person with a great sense of humor who laughed at almost everything I said. I could have said "I have a large boil on my butt" and he would think it hilarious. But that was his personality. Everything was funny to him. He became my best audience for my humor and my jokes. As a matter of fact, I could tell him a joke and he would laugh. I could tell him the same story two days later and he would laugh some more as though he had never heard the joke. Either I was a poor teller of tales, or he had a bad memory or maybe he just liked to laugh. I think that was the case and I went on telling stories and he kept laughing. He and I and two other guys also played golf, and Nick, who was older than the rest of us would tee off from the Ladies tee. He would also put a tee in the ground each time he hit the ball except of course on the green. It was a constant time of ragging on each other with Nick catching most of the flak. He loved it. He used to brag that he had shot an 80 at a tournament on a different course which, with his handicap gave him a net 60. Of course it was the low score of the day. We never accepted that as a fact. We just kept saying, "You never shot an 80 in your life".

One day he even found the score card from that tournament and we said, "No way! You went to the course and got one of their cards and faked your score." It drove him crazy but he laughed at all of our digging and was fun to play with. He had a habit which drove me nuts, to go up to people he didn't know and they instantly started laughing. What did he say? Who knows? But they were laughing. I was saying, "C'mon Nick lets go", but he never paid any attention to me. He was on center stage and he was milking it for all he could get. Nick would go up to people in a theater and ask if he could have their popcorn and they laughed and offered it to him.

I could go on a long time talking about my best friend. He was a Jew and the two of us made an interesting couple. The Jew and the Mormon! But Nick is no longer the man he was. He is living in a facility and stays in his room and naps or watches TV. The man was the most gregarious person I have ever known. He only laughs when I call him, and when he does I laugh with him. I miss him a lot and always go get him when I go back to Minnesota and we enjoy our relationship. He is 93 now and the spark he once had is fading, but each time I call him when I hang up I always give him one more shout "OUT' and he laughs!!

NO FINER MAN

It has been my privilege to know many fine men during my activity in our church but none have been finer than the man I came to recognize as my mentor. My first real acquaintance was when, at the eve of a conference, he had Louise and I meet him at his office. He was the of head our multi-unit (Stake) and he asked that I become his clerk. At that time my experience in the church was somewhat limited and I asked what my duties would entail. After his explanation, I replied, "I can't type and my hand writing is terrible. I have little or no knowledge of accounting and my church experience is quite limited, but if none of that bothers you, I'll take the job". His reply was a phrase I came to use often in some of my other positions ---"Well, look at all you will be able to learn". He was obviously a more skilled negotiator than was I.

Strangely, it was in a club shower room that I came to know him very well. I was giving up racquet ball and had decided to learn to play tennis and when I mentioned this to him, he said "I'll be glad to play tennis with you". That was the beginning of a friendship that went on for several years and we played tennis every week over that period. During some of my later positions in the church he and I would sit following our game and I would tell him of some of the obstacles I was facing He would advise me on possible solutions. This was a practice that lasted for a long time. It was during these and other meetings in which I was included that I came to fully appreciate his leadership qualities.

I knew him as a friend but under certain conditions he came forth as a man of deep devotion to his position as a leader of his large group of congregations. I would sit in these meetings taking minutes and was rewarded with getting to know the other two councilors that were his associates, Everette Manwaring and Alan Anderson. The three of them were magnificent in their endeavors to lead the aforementioned congregations and I was the recipient of their combined knowledge and efforts. These qualities brought about an organization that remained unequaled for many years, In particular, Paul Wilson led with a calm, experienced hand. He was a man of honesty, integrity and industry. He had a love of his family that, while his demeanor was sometimes very reserved, was the catalyst that allowed him to be such a great leader. To some, less knowledgeable of these qualities than was I, he may have appeared almost embarrassed to stand forth as the head of this large group of congregations, but to those of us who had come to know him, he was admired and respected. I am honored to call Paul Wilson my friend and my mentor as well as my spiritual leader. I have known and been acquainted with many men having most of the qualities mentioned before, but in my estimation there was no finer man than President Paul Wilson.

Do I or Do I not

Back in the late 80's, I was called to be a Bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints--most often simply called the Mormons. This was quite a demanding but a very rewarding position. Most of the wards (congregations) were in the suburbs but because my ward met in the city of Minneapolis, it was decided to also call me to be the "Transient Bishop". That meant all those new to the city who called for some assistance were referred to me and I would determine what kind of assistance they would receive. My telephone rang a lot!

To determine the extent of help we (the church) would ask questions like "What ward are you from? Who is your Bishop?" If I got an answer to either of those questions I would call that Bishop to determine whether to assist. In truth, most of the time the caller didn't know what ward he or she was from or who the Bishop was and I knew I was dealing with an inactive member or quite possibly not a member. Was this a person trying to milk the system? Many times the answer to that last question was--- yes. I was close to the Bus Station and therefore it made sense to assign this calling to a person best suited to handle the transient persons coming into town. As I said before, I received a lot of phone calls in the 7 years I had this assignment.

Unfortunately most of the calls, as they were screened, were from callers trying to get a free ride and when I asked pertinent questions they realized I was not going to assist them without some basis of their standing in the church records. Many times I purchased a lot of tanks of gas or bags of groceries and sent them on their way. To some however, it may have meant paying the first and last months rent for an apartment they were planning to rent. Obviously this called for something more than a phone call.

I remember one woman who pleaded with me to help her and her three kids. The landlord was waiting for my affirmation and he would know that the church was a secure risk and would therefor proceed with the rental. After doing more than accept the word of this unknown person, it turned out she had 7 children not the 3 she had told the landlord. She also was an inactive member and could not give the name of someone who would recommend her. I was sorry but it was apparently necessary to refuse her the help she needed.

Decisions of when to help and when not to were the most difficult problems I faced during that 7 years. But sometimes the person calling, when realizing I would not be a patsy would just hang up thus making my decision easier. I recall one young sounding woman after being asked pertinent questions merely said "Oh take a hike." I loved it!! She just wanted a handout but wasn't going to be pinned down. Louise would take the calls many times and had become quite learned in the ways to interview the callers. One, when asked his position in the church, the query from Louise was "Are you a Seventy?" ( this was a standard calling some members had at that time) The caller replied "I am about a Sixty". There is no such calling in the church and of course this person was not in a position to receive some assistance. And thus it was for the several years I had this calling---do I help or do I not. I have many times asked myself, what would the Savior do? That only complicated my resolve more and the dilemmas were many. I had the authority to spend church's money in any way I felt reasonable. Ah yes, but what was reasonable? That was the question, and for the years it was my responsibility to make those decisions, every situation was different and those difficulties were never simple. Judging the goodness of people has never been easy, but as the only judge, I was continuously faced with "do I or do I not"? I never found the answer!