Lessons I Never Forgot

Hanson Law was born in 1900. I know that because he told me a countless number of times. If he was still living he would now be almost 107 years old. He was employed at G.H. Goddard and Son for over 60 years.

I don’t think Hanson missed many days work in those 60 something years. And he was never late for work.

A lot of us could learn a lot from a man with that kind of work ethic.

Hanson worked for my great-grandfather, my grandfather and my father. He even worked for me for a few years. He worked in the grocery store and the meat market. When daddy was in the well digging business, Hanson helped him dig wells. He also dug more than a few graves.

When my dad’s brother became ill, Hanson looked after him. He did that until the day he died. Hanson did whatever needed doing at G.H.Goddard & Son.

Everybody in Reynolds knew Hanson and everybody loved him.

Especially my dad.

There was an incident that happened at our store one Saturday night in the early sixties. To be honest, I don’t know if I was there or not. I heard the story so many times it sure seems like I was there.

A local man who was obviously intoxicated came in the store that night at about closing. Hanson was waiting on him at the meat counter. The man was cussing and being loud and obnoxious as some drunks do. Daddy was watching him and watching the whole situation and could tell Hanson was getting upset at the way the man was acting and treating him.


Remember these were the days when public restrooms had a particular sign on them.

These were also the days that when we went to the movie theater in Fort Valley, the whites would sit on the main floor and the blacks would sit in the balcony.

Some of you remember well what I am talking about.

Anyway, the intoxicated redneck got louder and louder and cursed Hanson. And he used the “N” word in addressing him.

Daddy, who was much of a man in those days, walked over and grabbed the drunk by the collar and dragged him to the front of the store and literally threw him out the door onto the sidewalk with these parting words, “Don’t ever step your foot in this store again.”

The man took Daddy at his word and never shopped in our store again. In fact his entire family never shopped there again and that family never used our funeral home again. Generations later that family still did not do business with our family.

I learned two lessons from that story that I have carried with me all my life:

The first is living by principles is more important than making money. Some business in not worth having.

The second lesson is we have a duty to do whatever is in our power to protect the oppressed.

I never forgot that story. For the record, I don’t ever remember Daddy telling me about that night. But Hanson told me the story over and over again.

Obviously he never forgot it either.