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| The Bag - about to begin its third life. (Harley tags will adorn it once again.) |
I used to work a lot of hours
No problem...I loved the job
But there was one who always worked harder
He was always there when I arrived early
And always there when I stayed late
Always there
I approached retirement before he considered it
I was anxious to start a new life
And he at the time was content with his
One day just before I left, in a moment of candor and admiration
I told him he was the "hardest working sonofabitch
I had ever met."
And he was
And he still is
A few years later... as a consultant
With business in health care contract initiatives
I had the good fortune
To bring him on as an independent contractor
To assist my clients in pursuit of two extremely difficult
Billion dollar plus contracts (TRICARE)
My clients loved him... for good reason
And hired him for projects far beyond
Our work together
I have now been a consultant for almost 20 years
I have worked with and hired
Several hundred different independent contractors
To assist with consulting work
In that time there is only one who has
Given me a gift as a token of appreciation
For the work we did together
It was the same person...
The hardest working SOB
One of the finest gentlemen
I have ever known
It was uncalled for
And for that reason
All the more appreciated
He did it twice.
The second time it was a beautiful Tumi bag
Something I had never thought to purchase myself
I have used it off and on for years
While traveling hundreds of thousands of miles
I have retired it twice in favor of the newer model wheeled bags
To lighten my load...while on the road
But now, with lighter laptops
And ebooks
My load is getting light enough
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| L-R; Bill Grinstaff, Bob Bunker, Yours Truly Here is a link to a testimonial about Bob: http://tomcampbellsworld.blogspot.com/2009/09/ashtray.html |
Out of retirement for the third time
That is what prompts this tribute
It is now well-worn with years of character
But otherwise bullet-proof
I love to hang Harley related tags of various kinds on it
So those who see it know
While I may be traveling with a high-end bag
I am still somewhat off center... right where I want to be
Harold W. (Bill) Grinstaff, Colonel
United States Air Force (Retired)
I salute you
You make an old road warrior proud to have worked for you,
with you and to have known you as a friend.
For over 25 years now.
10/18/2015 update: Bill passed away a couple of years ago now. I am grateful I was able to share this tribute with him before he passed. I miss our frequent email exchanges on topics of all kinds and what he called "rocking chair memories" the most. We travelled to Boston this spring and while there, met Bill's wife Sharon, his son Mark and daughter-in-law Fabienne for dinner. Terrific people all and it seemed as if Bill was there with us, beaming with gentlemanly hospitality.
4 comments:
Heart Warming story...thanks for sharing:) !
Hi Tom,
Thank you for sharing your story. It's a wonderful tribute.
Thank you Annie... If you were to meet Bill, you would know how easy it is to write about him.
Tom, thanks for posting this tribute to Bill. We first met when Bill was the MSC Commander at USAF Clinic Hancock near Syracuse, NY in 1975 when I led the Medical Professions Recruiting Team in Upstate NY. We stayed connected throughout the remainder of our USAF careers and then reconnected about 10 years after Bill retired. When he left the consulting gigs where he worked for you, he assumed the position of Executive Director for TriWest Healthcare Alliance, which had won the Region 12 contract for setting up TRICARE in the southwest region of the US. Bill hired me immediately after my AF retirement to serve as Area Director for west Texas and NM. I thoroughly enjoyed collaborating and serving with Bill for 18 intense months in getting TRICARE up and running, but the greatest gift was working with Bill. Yes, he was extremely hard working and we pushed each other in the most collegial of ways, but most of all, I enjoyed his wisdom, candor, professionalism, and trust in letting do and lead as he expected me to do. Bill and Sharon were a class act, and spending time together over more than a few meals in El Paso and Phoenix I learned even more about executive leadership than I ever expected. Bill was a great mentor as well as a friend and colleague. So glad you had time with Sharon, Matt and Fabienne. I consider myself blessed to have had Bill in my life. He was truly remarkable in so many ways.
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