The following articles are inspired by Mark Sanborn's bestselling book, The Fred Factor, wherein he explains that a "Fred" (named after his mailman) is someone who has demonstrated a passion in their work and life that can turn even the most ordinary of things into something extraordinary.  All articles are reprinted from Hallmark Consulting Group's monthly newsletter, Retirement Coach News, and were written by Don Hartmann, President of Hallmark Consulting Group.

 


Fred of the Month - Charles Burrell

Shortly after reading The Fred Factor, I found myself traveling to Kansas City to do a presentation on charitable trusts and family foundations at the annual CASE District VI Conference.  CASE is an acronym for Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and there were representatives from approximately 150 colleges and universities in attendance.

When I arrived in Kansas City on Sunday evening, I made the mistake of taking the airport shuttle to my hotel downtown.  At first it seemed like the right decision, because the shuttle bus was practically empty.  But after stopping at every possible gate before leaving the airport the bus was completely full and, as luck would have it, we stopped at six other hotels in downtown Kansas City before finally arriving at my hotel just after 11:45 pm.  I made an instant decision: no matter the cost, I was going to take a cab back to the airport on Monday afternoon.

When I hopped in the cab on Monday afternoon I noticed the cab driver was well beyond normal retirement age and I decided to see if it could be a “Fred” and brighten his day a bit.  I started by telling him how much I appreciated the gospel music he was playing on the cab’s radio and I told him I used to sing in a large choir when I was growing up in New York City.  We had a delightful conversation about our favorite hymns and then I asked him how many years he had been driving a cab in Kansas City and he said “57 years – I started driving a cab when I was 24.”   I then asked him why he was still driving a cab at age 81 and he said “because I love driving and I meet some really interesting people.”

This prompted me to ask Charles who was the most famous person he ever had in his cab and he said “Bob Hope – eight times!”  I asked him how he managed to get Bob Hope eight times and he told me they had such a delightful conversation the first time he picked him up that Bob Hope asked him for his telephone number and called him every time he came back to Kansas City.  “Mr. Hope was one of the nicest people I ever met, and I’ll tell you something else about him – he never rode in the back, he always hopped in the front seat so we could carry on our conversation face-to-face.”

As we approached the airport I asked Charles how much longer he intended to drive a cab and he said “as long as the good Lord grants me good health.”  I said, “Charles, I am going to pray for you and I am going to ask the Lord to give you many more years of great health.”  He said, “thank you, Don, and I am going to pray the same for you because I can tell that you love your work as much as I love mine.”  When I got out of the cab at the airport Charles gave me a big hug and said “God Bless you.”  And that was the end of a cab ride I will never forget.

I kept Charles’s business card and promised to call him the next time I need a cab in Kansas City.  I said, “Charles, I’m no Bob Hope, but if it’s okay with you, I’d like to ride in the front seat, too.”  So if you ever find yourself in need of a cab in Kansas City, call Charles Burrell at 816-753-9300 (Crosstown Cab Co.).  You will have the privilege of riding with Bob Hope’s personal cabbie in KC and he’ll even let you ride in the front seat.  If the conversation is any good . . . well, when is the last time you got a hug from your cab driver?

 Fred of the Month - Sugar

Her name was Sugar, but make no mistake about it; she was really a “Fred.”  In planning my first column about the “Fred’s” I have met over the years, my experience with Sugar was the first thing that popped into my head.

Three years ago I boarded a United flight in Chicago for a trip back to Denver after three very hectic days.   Given the amount of air miles I have logged with United Airlines, I frequently get bumped up to First Class when flights are oversold and they are trying to open up additional seats in the Coach section.  On this particular night I was physically and emotionally exhausted when I boarded the big 747 and the big recliner seat and First Class meal were truly a Blessing.

As soon as I moved to my seat, the flight attendant working my side of the First Class cabin on the big jumbo jet came right over to me, extended her hand, and said “Hi Don, I’m Sugar – what can I do to make your flight with us extra special this evening?”  When I explained to Sugar how I had just completed three days of hectic meetings and how exhausted I was, she immediately seemed to make it her mission to make this the most memorable flight I had ever experienced.  She started me out with my favorite drink and brought me an extra pillow.

The meal was one of the finest fish dinners I had ever eaten. Following dinner, Sugar asked me if I would like coffee with my desert and would I like anything special in it.  I said “surprise me,” and she brought me a cup of coffee with just a touch of B&B in it.  She then asked me if I wanted to watch a movie or listen to some music and when I told her I would probably listen to music and try to get some sleep, she recommended a Doo Wop channel (Oldies from the 50’s and 60’s) and then she brought me another pillow to put under my knees!  How in the world could this charming lady have known that having grown up on the streets of New York City in the 50’s, I absolutely love Doo Wop?

Now all this might not seem like such a big deal to you, but what made the flight so special that evening was that while Sugar was responsible for serving twelve other passengers that evening, she truly made me feel like I was the most important person on the entire flight – and I have a feeling she made the other twelve passengers feel the same way.  My wife is a flight attendant for American and I know how working up to three or four flights in one day can be an exhausting experience.  If Sugar was tired that evening, her demeanor and smile did a great job of hiding it.

As we were getting ready to disembark in Denver, I asked Sugar how many years she had been flying for United and she informed me she had been a flight attendant for 34 years.  Can you imagine that – 34 years taking care of passengers and yet she managed to make me feel like I was the most important passenger she had ever served that evening!