It would seem that snow work (and how we got into it) would be a good topic for the first of a series of lookbacks and anecdotes commemorating our Fiftieth Year. As our history page indicates, clearly it was “The Blizzard of ‘78” that put us “on the map”, but we had actually been involved with snow clearing for many years prior.
Dad and Mother built our house (in 1957) with quite a setback from the street. In the late 50s and early 60s we had “real” winters…lots of snow…Dad was pretty frugal. We did our own shoveling but, Wes and Biz got extra allowance money for this “family activity.” It didn’t take us long to realize, however, that there was a bit of a profit to be made and soon we began to peddle our services around our Lynnfield neighborhood – and we did quite well! In time many of our snow customers would become our Sunday paper route customers…and then, our lawn cutting customers.
“Bill’s boys” showed such a keen interest in “doing snow” that the time soon came to make a (major) investment – in a snow thrower…which in turn would lead into a very valuable personal relationship – and a life’s lesson…
Bill Reed and our new snow thrower.
Ernie Hunt lived about a mile away for us. He and his wife Marge were friends of our parents. Ernie ran a successful printing business in Boston – and usually left for work in the wee hours of the morning – so, he needed someone reliable to do his snow removal. The Hunts lived on top of a hill – lots of blowing & drifting of snow – and their driveway, off a main street went straight down into the garage with walls on each side…DAUNTING!
Always up for a challenge (which NO ONE else wanted) Biz and I agreed to take on the driveway…which meant – half-pushing a snow blower at a snail’s pace for a mile or so up a rather steep grade IN THE STREET…usually in LESS THAN DESIRABLE conditions…and ALWAYS in the dead of night. WHAT were we thinking?
So…about the “life’s lesson” – learned the hard way at a very early age…One time we didn’t show up…just flat-out couldn’t do it. Ernie was understandably upset and called Dad. Wes, being the oldest, and perceived to be the most responsible for the “no show” had the unenviable task of marching up to his home ALONE to face the music and apologize. My goodness was he ever mad! No one other than my parents had come down on me so hard…and I got the lecture (from someone else other than Bill or Edith Reed) about…if you MAKE A COMMITMENT you DAMN WELL BETTER MAKE GOOD ON IT if you are going to EVER amount to ANYTHING in life.
Well, of course I apologized profusely. Eventually Ernie and I became close friends…Often during my Northeastern years I’d ride in to Boston with him at his usual early hour and do some of my studying in his office until I had to head over to school. The rides provided valuable time for me to learn from Ernie about running one’s own business – and succeeding…Lessons I’ll always regard as helping provide necessary fundamentals for us.
Ernie is gone now, but we kept in touch till the end of his life – I always told him how grateful I was that he took us under his wing. He was, by the way, the one who helped create the original Reed Bros. Enterprises design and logo.
Ernie enjoyed that we had success and he took pride in the part he had played in it. ~ Wesley Reed
