Great American Men
Case Studies: Great American Men
As we discussed in our section on education, if we wish men to be
moral, we must consciously guide them with good examples. The
following are case studies on men whom I believe to be great.
Many biographies exist on these men. However, it is important
that I describe some significant lessons from each of their
lives.
The list of men in this set of case studies includes:
Bill Graham, Dave Thomas, Harold Medina, John Kennedy, Bill
Cosby, Michael Landon, and Arlo Guthrie.
It should be noted that there are some men who have provided more
personal inspiration to me than others. For me, I chose three
American men, more or less contemporary, as personal models.
These men are John F. Kennedy, Michael Landon, and Arlo Guthrie.
Before we delve into all the biographies, I believe a few words
should be said about the three men who I took as personal role
models.
These three men have certain things in common. They have high
moral principles. They believe in making the future better than
today. They have great inner strength, yet at the same time,
posses deep emotions. They are very comfortable with who they
are. They are the first to laugh at themselves. They mix
silliness and seriousness. They are always ready to stand up for
injustice, they always have time to care when it caring is needed
most, and in spite of all that, they laugh at life more often
than not.
They have all produced works of art which show how life has been
or could be. In addition, they try as much as they can to
practice what they have said through their art. And, of course,
each is incredibly talented.
I consider these three extraordinary human beings to be men of
the highest calibre. If I could be 1/100 of what these men are, I
would be doing very well indeed.
Let us now get a brief glimpse of a few of America’s
greatest men.
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Bill Graham
Like Pericles in the Golden Age of Greece, Bill Graham in the
1960’s played an important role in promoting the arts.
Without him, many great artists would not have been able to
spread their words.
More importantly, Bill was a man of optimism and of great love.
He had much in his life where he could claim victimization, but
he did not. He could have used his wealth solely for himself, but
he did not.
Bill Graham was born as a Jew in Germany just before World War
Two. Both of his parents were killed, and Bill, as an orphan,
made his way to the United States.
He was eventually adopted, and grew up the Bronx of New York
City. He learned to take care of himself, and be as tough as he
needed to be. However, he would always remain a decent man.
Moving to San Francisco, Bill bought the Fillmore, a dance/music
hall. It was here that Bill created his business as one of the
greatest promoters of rock music, and it was here that he created
his financial wealth.
Bill always wanted to ensure his audience had a good time. And
they did. It almost didn’t matter who was playing, if it was
at the Fillmore, it was destined to be good. And, although he
became rich enough to hire others, he would always attend the
shows himself.
In the 1980’s, I twice saw Bill at concerts. Most of the
10,000 customers didn’t know who he was, but I knew, and I
was fascinated as he checked the wires, checked the traffic
control, and ensured that the customers would be entertained. He
could have hired plenty of people to check as he did, but he
wanted to be there himself.
Bill must always be remembered for an important philosophy, one
which he repeated often:
You can complain about social problems, or you can do something
about it.
Short. Simple. Yet never outdated.
Bill did many things about social issues. What is even more
amazing is that he kept most of these anonymous; only at the
benefit in his honor were these deeds made public. For example,
he donated a Hanukah wreath for the Jewish community in San
Francisco. He would be the first to donate money for a rock
musician to go through drug rehabilitation. In the early days of
the Fillmore, when drugs were common, Bill would pass out free
apples, with the concept that a full stomach would reduce the
effect of the drugs. And last, but not least, when the Shoreline
Amphitheater was created, he helped design the facilities to have
twice as many restrooms as men - no small improvement for the
female customers. Thus, Bill clearly acted on social issues
whenever he had the opportunity.
Bill lost his parents in World War Two, and had to move to
another country as an orphan at a very early age. Yet, he was
able to follow his passion, and create wealth for himself and his
family. He remained human, always working to give his customers
the best entertainment, and doing what was within his power in
order to make his city just a bit better. And, because of his
position (slightly older than the musicians, and the owner of a
music hall), Bill was able to be a significant force in assisting
the talented musicians of the day to become famous professionals.
Indeed, Bill Graham had much to claim victimization over, but he
did not do so. Bill created a business and enormous wealth, and
he did it in a way which was pleasurable for everyone. And, he
always held firm to his beliefs of doing what he could for the
community.
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Dave Thomas
Dave Thomas was the founder of Wendy's Restaurants. He passed
away only recently, but he left a great legacy and an enormous
amount of advice.
There are many areas where Dave Thomas is a role model.
First there is the man. It is the story of an adopted child who
held his own. Its the story of a man making his own success - and
company worth
$3 Billion. Its a man who remained moral all his life, a man who
was both moral and financially successful.
Then there are the business angles to look at. It is a case study
of how his business economics - simple and ethical - created a
world class company.
It is a case study in family business, where family style
business management really works.
It is a case study in treating employees and customers with
morals. Dave's morals were important in helping his business to
grow.
So many stories for just one man.
Thankfully, he left us a written revord of all his beliefs and
his secrets to success. Dave Thomas wrote his book Dave's Way in
1991. It offers, in simple language, all his views on business
and people. I will paraphrase a few items from that book.
Looking at the book as a whole, we see many of his methods which
prove what we are saying in this book. For example:
1. Pace of work: you should plan and prepare for busy times, and
do maintenance in slow times.
This fits in with our section on Crisis Management.
2. Have fun: enjoy what you do, have employees enjoying what they
do, and have the employees enjoy you as a supervisor.
This fits in with our sections on Humor, and on Business
techniques. We emphasize that work should be enjoyable!
3. Family and Teams: the best stores acts as a family. A good
manager gets his team to do fun stuff together.
Run your business like a family! It creates success.
4. In accounting and business aspects, stick to the basics: Use
the key numbers rather than confusing accounting tricks. Through
these key numbers you see what the true problems and true
successes are.
Simple business can be the best. We've seen in recent times many
companies go out of business, and part of the reason was
accounting methods that few people can follow. Keep it simple,
and see what is really going on.
5. Don't treat people like "plug in parts"; give people
more responsibilities; reduce turnover; crosstrain. These are
just some of the methods Dave discusses in detail which we also
believe in.
Dave Thomas really does a great job in his book. He explains
principles, and he gives examples from his business. Most of his
book, and his business, support our views. Dave Thomas - a great
man, a great businessman, and a great American.
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Harold Medina
Harold Medina was a Federal Judge for the State of New York in
the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. We ought to remember
him for two things: his character, and how he handled a
particularly difficult case.
Medina was a wise man. He would listen to the evidence before
judging a person. He had high morals, which he would not
compromise. Finally, when he had decided that a particular
individual was guilty of criminal behavior, he would use his
powers to punish them. The last point is important, for a man of
morals knows that we must punish criminal behavior to keep our
society together. Thus, Medina was generous enough to never
prejudge an individual, yet when he was convinced that a man
performed criminal acts, Medina would not hesitate to deliver
appropriate punishment.
Medina became internationally famous for one case. It is not the
what the defendants were accused of that concerns us, nor are we
concerned with the final verdict. What we must learn is the
unethical behavior of the defendants, and how Medina acted during
the case.
The case involved several Communist leaders in United States, who
were charged with conspiracy to overthrow the government.
Before the trial even started, everyone knew the outcome would
have profound implications. Being held the same year that China
became Communist and at the beginning of the Cold War, many
Americans (though not Medina) were suspicious of anything
Communist. Therefore, Medina had to make sure they got a fair
trial. On the other side, these Communist leaders knew that if
they lost this case, their cause would suffer. Therefore, the
defendants not only tried to win their case, but tried to make
Medina make a mistake which would be grounds for mistrial.
This is significant, and is the central concept for us to learn
from this case. We do not care that they were Communists, we do
not care what the final verdict was. The reason that these men
are criminals (yes, I said criminals) is not for their specific
charge, but for their devious plotting and tricks designed to
disrupt the trial.
Medina was more than fair, and many editorials said he was too
lenient. Yet the defendants did trick after trick to annoy Medina
and try his patience.
The first trick was to claim that the jury was not
representative, and that Medina was partly to blame. (This was
ridiculous since Medina had become famous a few years earlier for
making the jury system more equitable.)
The second trick was that one defendant, Dennis, who was the
leader of all the defendants - wanted to be his own lawyer.
Medina knew that if he allowed Dennis to represent himself that
he could often spout Communist ideology pretending it was vital
to the trial. However, to avoid the possibility of mistrial,
Medina allowed Dennis to be his own lawyer. As predicted, Dennis
would daily go on tangents about social injustice and whatnot,
forcing an annoyed Medina to calmly bring him back to the point.
There were plenty of strategies. From the beginning, Communists
were instructed to make a nuisance of themselves. Thousands of
letters came in daily - all in favor of Communism, and none
opposed. Communist sympathizers would wait outside his office and
home to “discuss” the issues. Protesters in favor of
Communism shouted outside the building. Day after day, month
after month, they would call Medina names. Medina himself
admitted, “If you are called an S.O.B. often enough, you
begin to wonder.”
Then there was Medina’s fear of heights. In an incident
unrelated to the trial, a public figure committed suicide by
jumping out a window. However, the Communists had done research
to discover Medina’s fear of heights and of falling to his
death. The protesters began to taunt Medina to jump out the
window. This tactic affected Medina. After the trial he
commented, “Of all the things they tried on me during the
trial, this came closest to working. I got so I didn’t dare
go near a window, and I feel it even yet.”
After about 6 months into the trial, Medina finally used his
authority to stop the nonsense, and bring the trial to a speedy
conclusion. After a witness was being particularly obstinate, and
Medina had already told him his obligation, Medina calmly stated,
“I now ajudge you guilty of willful and deliberate contempt,
and by reason thereof I sentence you as follows. You are to be
remanded until you have purged yourself of your contempt for a
period not to exceed thirty days.”
The room was full of commotion, and one by one the lawyers popped
out of their seats to object. Medina calmly put his foot down,
“Mr. Winston, I hereby direct that you be remanded for the
remainder of the trial.” “Mr. Hall, is it? You are
hereby remanded for the balance of the trail.” Eventually,
the room settled down. The Communist leaders continued with their
tactics, but the trial became more manageable.
Medina began to cut down on what he referred to as “peripheral
argument,” and he refused to let more than one lawyer take
part in the same argument. Medina became firmer and firmer in
ordering lawyers to sit down, and not allowing them to object
when their objections were ridiculous. The Communist leaders
continued to create more distractions but the trial became more
manageable.
When the trial was over, the jury found all of the defendants
guilty as charged. But, again, this is not important. However,
what was important was how Medina punished the lawyers after the
jury reached their verdict.
Medina began by stating that at the beginning of the trial he was
open-minded, and if anything, inclined to be more lenient toward
the defendants.
However,
“I was reluctantly forced to the conclusion that the acts
and statements to which I am about to refer were the result of an
agreement between these defendants, deliberately entered into in
a cold and calculating manner for the purpose of:
1. Causing such delay and confusion as to make it impossible to
go on with the trial;
2. Provoking incidents which they intended to result in mistrial;
3. Impairing my health so that the trial could not continue.
I find that the acts, statements, and conduct of each of these
defendants (the lawyers) constituted a deliberate and willful
attack upon the administration of justice, an attempt to sabotage
the functioning of the Federal judicial system so as to make a
fine a futile gesture and wholly insufficient punishment.”
He then listed 13 tactics, including:
“e. Persisted in making long, repetitious and insubstantial
arguments, objections, and protests, accompanied by shouting,
sneering, and snickering”
g. Repeatedly made charges against the Court of bias, prejudice,
and partiality.
i. Disregarded repeatedly and flagrantly the orders of the Court
not to argue without permission and to desist from further
argument or comment.”
Medina then cited specific actions, using the lawyers own words.
(Medina had taken detailed notes throughout the trial, an effort
which paid off tremendously.) He then sentenced each to jail for
4-6 months.
One lawyer, Mr. Sachel, shouted at Medina and made comments about
the “price of Liberty.” Medina responded coolly, “It
is not the price of liberty. It is the price of misbehavior and
disorder. Let this be notice to you, and to all who may be
tempted to follow in your example.”
Thus, we have much to learn from Medina. Recall our discussion of
the criminal element. There are certain behaviors which are
unacceptable whether there is legal recourse or not. Medina
recognized this; he managed them during the trial so to let it
continue, then punished them afterward. We, too, must punish such
criminal behavior whenever we see it. Their goal is to destroy
us, therefore, we must destroy them.
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John Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was one of the greatest Presidents of our
country. We ought to follow his example on many fronts.
Kennedy was a quintessential philosopher-statesman. He had an
enormous appetite for history and philosophy, and he made notes
in the margins of all the books he read. This aspect to his
character was exhibited often in his speeches, and in his
intellectual discussions with guests at the White House.
Kennedy also never lost his sense of humor. He could make fun of
himself with dry wit and classic understatement. He knew the
gravity of his job, but he knew not to take himself too
seriously.
He was also clever in creating integrated approaches to problems
and win-win solutions. For example, setting the vision of America
landing on the Moon was very clever. This was an adventure - like
Columbus discovering America or the Wright brothers flying for
the first time. It was an idealistic vision, something America
would invest in emotionally and financially. He knew that when we
made it, we would show the world (i.e. the USSR) that American
technology and ambition still reigned. Finally, but not
insignificantly, the adventure would create military spin-offs
which were realistically necessary to keep us on the stronger
side of negotiations. This was a clever win-win solution to real
problem.
The item which we must bow in praise to him most for was his
strength amidst his continuous back pain. This alone makes him
one of the greatest human beings who ever walked the earth.
Kennedy’s boat in World War II, the PT-109, was sunk.
Kennedy became a hero, but his back was seriously injured.
Throughout his life he would continue to undergo operations.
Every day, he would do exercises and take baths to relieve the
pain. He would often use crutches. He was almost always in pain.
In spite of this, he rarely complained. He was in pain most of
his life, and yet he rarely showed it, verbally or otherwise.
Moreover, Kennedy served as Senator and President with the pain.
Public office is draining for any man, the ‘wise’
decision for Kennedy would have been to stay away from such a
stressful occupation. However, after his brother died in World
War II, and after witnessing the signing of the U.N. charter, he
vowed to keep the dreams alive. He felt his back pain
inconsequential to those who gave their lives.
One operation was especially problematic. In 1954 Kennedy
underwent a dangerous double spinal fusion operation. After the
operation, twice he was in critical condition and twice the
church administered the last rights. Twice he fought his way back
to life.
Even though he was off the critical list, he had to lie in bed
all the time for a period of months. The pain was harsh. To take
his mind of his pain (and I think to give him some inspiration as
well), he used this time to gather information from the library
and write a little essay. This essay evolved into a book,
Profiles in Courage, and would eventually win the Pulitzer Prize.
Yes, Kennedy is one of the most amazing men in all of history.
His wisdom, his strength, his creativity, his can-do attitude -
these are things which we should all strive to attain.
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Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby made himself a millionaire by making people laugh. His
humor was always clean and family oriented. And, he attained all
this success despite the color of his skin.
Cosby grew up with little money. However, his family did instill
values into him. Cosby went on to earn a college degree from
Temple University.
In the early 1960’s Cosby began making a name for himself as
comic. This was the era of Martin Luther King and the civil
rights movements. In spite of the obstacles, people recognized
Cosby’s talents and he quickly launched his career.
He went on to be involved in many television shows, “I Spy”
and “The Cosby Show” among the most popular. He also
appeared in many films, made many albums. Notice that among all
the thousands of sketches Cosby did, not once did he use
profanity. Not once did he put others down. Not once did he use
the uneducated language of the streets.
Notice also that his sketches often involved family. Particularly
notice in “The Cosby Show” how his kids were more
respectful and well behaved than most kids depicted on
television. All of these activities were part of Bill Cosby’s
basic beliefs.
Remember the truths in A Christmas Carol? Remember our
challenges? Indeed, family values and clean humor made Bill Cosby
incredibly rich.
Again notice the color of his skin. African-Americans everywhere
should take a very close look. Bill Cosby managed to rise to fame
before the days of affirmative action. Notice that Bill Cosby
depicted himself in “The Cosby Show” as a professional
- a medical doctor - who worked hard to make a comfortable life
for himself. Cosby is not just showing the culture of European
whites, but rather the culture of America.
Finally, Bill Cosby went back to school to earn his Ph.D. in
Education. Certainly he was very wealthy, he could have done lots
of things - why earn a Ph.D.? But that is the nature of Cosby.
Also, this again shows that family is very important to Cosby;
important enough to earn a degree and write books about it.
Yes, Bill Cosby made himself wealthy without harming anyone. He
became wealthy while making people feel good. And, he managed to
do it in spite of the color of his skin. Yes, Bill Cosby shows us
that anything is possible.
Michael Landon
Michael Landon was a talented actor, writer and director. With
his good looks, he could have chosen films where he slept with a
woman every other scene. Yet, he chose family stories instead.
With his ability as a director, he could demand anything he
wanted from his cast, yet he chose to make the environment
pleasant and fun.
Only Michael could create stories about men who were physically
strong yet loved their family, about friends who survived a
crisis together, and about people who conquered their
limitations. And, Michael became enormously wealthy doing it.
Yet growing up, Michael did not know a rosy life. He received
Anti-Semitic taunts, and comments about his curly hair. He lived
in a dysfunctional family, and, except for his short stint in
track, was a man of limited abilities. To look at earlier periods
of his life, one might consider him a loser. But circumstances
did not prohibit Michael for long.
When he got into acting, his abilities were discovered. When he
started writing his own scripts, and started directing, he began
to formulate his vision. He wanted to create family television,
where “people stay together because they communicate.”
This vision carried him through his prolific career in family
television. I would argue that the world is better for it.
Yet, the films are just the beginning. Michael also showed that a
man can be very strong, very tough, very masculine, and at the
same time, be very caring. Being strong and caring are not
mutually exclusive. Being caring does not deny your manhood.
Despite the efforts of the 1960’s to make gender equality,
men today still feel the pressure to boast their machismo rather
than their sensitivity. Landon’s physique combined with his
enormous love was perfect combination for spreading this concept.
Michael continually preached love. He never said having money was
bad, but he did say, in several scripts, that without love you
have nothing. I believe that too. Money is great. The more the
better. However, remove the love, and the world becomes empty.
Michael never became to old for humor. He would continually joke
on the set, often paying practical jokes on his crew. He would
also put humorous scenes in his scripts, even making fun of
himself. One such scene was in a “Highway to Heaven”
episode. The characters Smith (Michael Landon) and Gordon (Victor
French) were walking along the Hollywood walk of fame. Gordon
points to the star of one his favorite actors - Michael Landon -
to which Smith (played by Landon) replies, “Who? I’ve
never heard of him.”
Michael also made the work environment pleasant and fun - the
crew itself was a family, with Michael as the father. Everyone
who worked with Michael Landon enjoyed their work thoroughly. The
work was challenging, but in the end, an enjoyable experience.
This family style production is not limited to the arts. Try
applying Landon’s views to the industrial environment.
Imagine how you as a manager could create a more family type
atmosphere. Imagine how by truly caring for your employees, they
will be more inclined to do their best for you. At the very
least, imagine how much better going to work will be. And yet,
this does not have to cut into productivity. In fact, it will
even enhance productivity because the employees enjoy what they
do.
We must remember Michael Landon for his amazing amount of love,
for his messages about being proactive and moral, for his
examples of possible solutions to real issues, and for the
concept that a business can be profitable and fun at the same
time.
Remember Michael Landon’s vision of a Family atmosphere, in
your own family, among your friends, or in the workplace.
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Arlo Guthrie
Unlike the other biographies, this biography of Arlo Guthrie will
be more personal, for he has had a profound influence on my
development and beliefs.
Arlo Guthrie was born as the son of the famous folk singer Woody
Guthrie. Woody’s song “This Land is Your Land” is
American as you can get, and is perhaps one of the most well
known songs in America.
Arlo soon became a musical force unto himself. His textured
orchestration, his brilliant lyrics, his range of musical styles,
and his never ending wit have resulted in some of the finest
music ever recorded.
Arlo Guthrie’s primary inspiration to me was saying it is
okay to be more than superficial. Arlo’s second inspiration
to me was that is okay to be a holistic person. While my peers
focused on outer trappings and cliques, I always sensed there was
something more. Then I discovered Arlo’s albums, written at
an age not much older than I was. The Album “Arlo Guthrie”
has political commentary such as “The Presidential Rag”
(about Watergate) as well as fun stories such as “Me and My
Goose.” He gave me freedom to explore the full richness of
life.
The album “Amigo” provides a good example of what being
a holistic man is about. “Patriot’s Dream” and
“Victor Jara” are powerful political commentaries.
“Massachusetts” and “Manzanillo Bay” are
beautiful ballads which compel the listener to visit the places
he loves so much. “Grocery Blues” and “Guabi Guabi”
show his irreverence. Then there are the purely fun pieces such
as “Walking Song” and “Connection” (the
latter a pure rock N’ roll song which would make even ZZ Top
blush).
As I continue to meet people, I am disappointed that most people
today are one dimensional. I, like Arlo, strive to be
multidimensional. The richness of life lies in the complete range
of emotions. If you ignore one, you miss a significant part of
being human.
Like Arlo, we should try to have the full range of emotions. Some
circumstances ask us to be serious, other circumstances allow us
to be irreverent. Sometimes we must be astute in the ways of the
world, and other times we can be ourselves amongst our true
friends. Love, strength, social commentary, irreverence,
community, spirituality, aggressiveness - these are all various
elements of Arlo Guthrie, and of life itself. Don’t neglect
any part of being human.