He really thought he knew me!

The six years that I was privileged to oversee the computing and technology business for the big company were some of the most rewarding in terms of achievement and accomplishment. One of the perks I enjoyed most was the business club membership I inherited from my boss who took medical retirement. This membership was to the oldest and most exclusive business club in the city and I was humbled by the opportunity to eat there three or four days per week.
There were at least two other prominent business clubs in the city that catered to certain types of executives. The old club I was a part of was definitely old school. The joke used to be that one of the primary differences between the clubs was the others all had exercise equipment that worked and was actually used. I loved going there at lunch time and seeing the legends of business as they congregated each day. On any given day you could see well-known politicians, celebrity lawyers, and dozens of the most powerful business leaders in our country.

My previous boss always wanted to be a part of this scene. He wanted people to know he was there and wanted his name to be called and all that went with that. I never cared anything at all about doing that kind of thing, however, I actually think they did quite a bit more in my case since I never even thought about wanting it to be done. I did use my membership very strategically. Part of my job was to sign off on millions of dollars worth of computing, networking, and telecommunications spending. Often I would carry high profile executives from these vendor companies to the club for lunch. They could not pay at my club. I paid. I was never beholden to any of them.

Bottom line, and I say this with a great sense of accomplishment; we were able to provide the best technology at the lowest possible cost for our company. I always preferred seeing hundreds of thousands saved compared to a $50 luncheon. For me this was a no brainer but I did have my days of trying to explain this approach on my expense account since it was exactly the opposite of what every one else did.

One thing is certain, anytime you have this type of environment you will have people who are there primarily to network and make connections. Because of this there was always a lot of greeting, handshaking, and banter forth and back as people moved in and out of the main dining area. (I was actually a member when women were not allowed in certain dining areas and was there when all of that changed, what an explosive situation!) But here’s the story I wanted to tell today.

A famous lawyer from the city got into politics and eventually was elected governor of our state. This guy thought he knew me. I’m not just saying he was always greeting me but it was different. I don’t know if he thought we went to school together or what, but he always made a big deal when he saw me at the club. This, of course, made quite an impression on the people who were with me. It was uncanny. I would tell my family about how he treated me like I was his long lost brother and they would give me that, "okay, sure dad", condescending, "you are most likely exaggerating again" look.

Then it happened. We were on our way as a family to a reunion or something out of town and were in a multi-car caravan. About sixty miles outside the metroplex we all stopped for dinner. It was a catfish restaurant. We got situated with two or three tables pushed together. Guess who walks in? None other than my long lost friend, the now ex-governor, and he spots me across the room. He immediately came to our table and nearly embraced me and recognized my family, talked about how wonderful it was to see us all, and then excused himself. Everyone sat there dazed.

I didn’t have to say I told you so because on that day the authenticity of my story telling was raised to a whole new level. More later………