FRED C. HOLMES

Wholesale

The Merchant Magazine

WBMA's Link To Retire

C. E. "Chuck" Link, executive director of the Western Building Material Association, has announced his retirement effective April l, 1991.

A search committee apointed to receive applications for the position includes: Earl Nelson. chairmanNelsons, Twin Falls, td.: Tad Scharpf, Scharpf's Twin Oaks Builders Supply, Eugene, Or.; Mick Bush, Bayview Building Materials, Olympia, Wa.; Joe Orem, Bellingham Sash & Door, Bellingham, Wa.; and Robert Perrin, Capital Lumber Co., Boise, Id.

Earthquake Education

HomeClub, Oxnard, Ca., sponsored an Earthquake Preparedness day Nov. 18 supported by the Red Cross, Southern California Gas Co., Southern California Edison, Disaster Services of Ventura Country, the Ready Or Not Earthquake Committee and Logistic Solutions, Inc. All had representatives distributing pamphlets, answering questions and offering suggestions for emergency readiness.

Straight Lumber

A reader of The Merchant Magazine has called my attention to an obvious error in your October issue story on Western Hardwoods.

On page 50 in reference to California black oak lumber, the article states"On the negative side, Hall says maximum lumber length is 10 feet, it's not very straight." The lumber is, of course, very straight. It is the trees that are not. They have a characteristic of growing less straight than eastern oakthis is the reason for our l0' log (and lumber) length. Possibly we are over-sensitive, but we have pride in our quality as well as the good fortune to work one of the most beautiful and machinable of all the oaks.

I also wish to note that I never indicated that we "guarantee" our parent company "Masco an uninterrupted supply of western hardwood." We made no such guarantee nor has Masco demanded one.

Thanks for the opportunity to correct an otherwise good article.

Guy H. Hall President Cal

Oak Lumber Co.

1000 Cal Oak Rd. Oroville, Ca. 95965

Remedy For Hard Times

In 1957, I "went broke" in mY lumber business for a very easy reasonjust plain ran out of moneY.

My dear wife, Mary, went back to work at the bank, this time in Whittier, and I went to work for a wholesale lumber company with offices in Arcadia.

We had one car (hers). I drove her to Whittier and then went on to Arcadia, reversing the procedure coming home. We lived in Downey.

After about two weeks of this, when I picked her up after the day was done, she asked, "Do you like your work?"

My reply was, "l hate it. How about vours? " '

She replied, "l hate it. Do you have any money?"I had about $3. So we Pooled our resources and stopped at a liquor store, bought a bottle of bourbon and went home.

We had a life to live and three boys to raise (her step sons). Things were really bleak. We shared our thoughts on the predicament, our disappointment and our fears and then our hopes, our ambi- tions and our dreams. We learned the importance of sharing in that one complete evening.

Do vou know. from that time on thines sot better and better and better. For -ovJr 30 wonderful years together we shared everything, our thoughts, our deeds, our hopes and dreams.

Sharing was always a top Priority.

Moral o[the story: if the psychologist fails, try a bottle of bourbon.

George Clough

378 Fairview Ave.

Arcadia. Ca. 91006

This anecdote from a venerable 87-yearold lumberman is proof that those in the industry hang tough when the going gets rough-ed.

SAIM0l{ FlSHll{G trip on 0regon's Klamath River produced these results for (l-r) Mark Herms, Industrial Forest Products, Anaheim, Ca.; Sam Keator, Louisiana-Pacific, Samoa, Ca., and Steve Baugh, also with Industrial.

Christensen.