howeenterprise.com
Monday, March 4, 2019
The history of Magni-Fab Southwest in Howe
Page #20
Stories with heart Writing a book is not for the faint of heart. It requires hours of dedication, coupled with a strong vision comprising what an author desires to impart. Some books require much research, while others Samuel Moore- appear to be Sobel written nearly entirely off the cuff. There are narratives that languish, while others become an instant success. The book business is a rather unpredictable one; for, we never truly know what books will come to captivate our attention until we read them.
The power of such writing cannot be overstated. Hillbilly Elegy, written by J.D. Vance, helped a nation come to grips with the realities facing residents of the Midwest. Vance captures the plight of poor, white Americans trying to find their way in a country that has seemingly left them behind. His book coincided with the 2016 election, an aid in understanding the anger presumably felt by a wide swath of voters.
Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie showed us what it looks like for a human being to have empathy for another. It illuminated the need for the older generation to provide wisdom and insight to those of us still trying to find our way. James McBride’s The Color of Water helped redefine the meaning behind the color of our skin, paving the way for a more understanding culture in which I recently read Blue Eyed Boy: A human beings’ are judged and Memoir by Bob Timberg. The memoir focuses on the life of a man accepted by the character they display during the lives they live. who experienced great tragedy. Suffering severe burns after riding A view of a nation to which so There once was a building erected with General Motors before many of us aspire. in a van that encountered a in 1969 and named the Grayson breaking away and creating the landmine during the Vietnam War, County Coliseum and managed by parent company of the firm he Admittedly, I may be biased, since the young Marine was forced to L.N. Sikes. The large structure was came to represent." I am in the process of completing a grapple with the implications of about 20 yards longer than a memoir. A gut-wrenching, loss. His face nearly entirely football field and seated Limited production began in June difficult, excruciating project that distorted as a result, he endured approximately 2,700 patrons for 1971 after pouring 23,500 square events such as wrestling, rodeos, foot of concrete. The north side of dozens of surgeries, eager to restore has taken several years to complete. One which I have his previous physical appearance. and concerts. Willie Nelson was the building housed a conveyor occasionally wished to walk away even scheduled to perform there, system and was built to circle the Although his story may be rare, at from, only to be pulled back in by but an ice storm changed plans for east side and return to the north least in comparison to the life of an the prospect of making an impact. the red-headed stranger. Dallas with five phases of wash My motivation for writing average American, the words he Cowboys fullback Walt Garrison operations. offers are ones to which we can all stemming from a desire to show was a frequent others the lessons I have learned relate. A tale filled with pain and The company also has a long regret, joys and success. He writes after enduring a traumatic The coliseum was purchased by history of promoting from within experience, while offering hope to David H. Brown and Joe as Howe graduate Jimmy Bearden in a tone filled with sincerity, readily admitting to an extramarital those who need it most. For how Kaufmann of Sherman and leased started in 1973 as the purchasing else can we influence others if we and eventually sold it to a company manager and was promoted to vice affair, along with his penchant for are unwilling to share our stories? wrecking marriages. Despite the based in Wooster, Ohio to named president and general manager in pain inherent in his journey, he Magni-Power Inc. The location in 1980 after Red McKinsley retired refuses to play the victim card. He In a few weeks, I plan to attend the Howe would be named Magni-Fab from that position. Bearden was Southwest and would manufacture named Norman J. Wallace Citizen owns his mistakes, leaving it up to National Book Festival in metal products. of the Year in 2001 and Howe Hall the reader to decide whether or not Washington, D.C. I will eagerly they were carried out as a result of wait in long lines to meet fantastic of Honor inductee in 2016 for his authors, longing to hear the experiencing horrific trauma. The plant was made possible by contributions to Howe. origination of the stories they so the cooperation of Howe and eloquently pen. I will readily listen While books of all genres fill my Sherman city officials, who had Magni-Fab hired a 22-year-old to lectures given by both nonbookshelves, there is something extensive squabbling over the Ohio native named Wayne fiction and fiction writers alike, rather special about a memoir. A boundary line involving the Swineford who eventually moved coliseum property. into Bearden's role. Not only did he sentiment likely shared by countless willingly getting lost in the stories they tell. Yet none will be as readers. We long to delve into the serve the plant in the same exciting as those offered by stories of others, eager to connect Don Collier was introduced to capacity, but he served the memoirists, offering tidbits along and understand the human Howe as the executive vice community in the same capacity experience. “Truth is stranger than the way of the journeys they have president and general manager of and was also named Norma J. traveled. The adventures they have fiction,” as the saying goes. the firm in a February meeting. He Wallace Citizen of the Year in lived, the demons they have stated that night that 10,000 of the 2005. conquered. The mountains they Reading a memoir can help us 23,000 square feet in the building would be utilized by a highly In 1998, Magni-Fab purchased the identify our own thought patterns, have climbed, and the tunnels they making sense of the behavior we see have burrowed. Here’s to hoping sophisticated painting setup. Old America, Inc. location on the east side of US Highway 75 which in ourselves and those around us. A the next year brings a whole slew of new memoirs. For, so much powerful genre allowing others a "Our products will come out with expanded their operation from 22 would be lost if the sharing of window into the soul. All while the same type of finish as an auto, to 44 total acres. beautiful, gut-wrenching, providing an avenue for the "said Collier, who spent 32 years inspirational stories were to communal consumption of shared human experiences. Memoirs help suddenly cease. us make sense of the world, while offering insight into the complexity Samuel Moore-Sobel is a freelance of human emotion that can often get writer. To read more of his work, visit lost in our twenty-four hour news cycle. Ultimately, these works help www.holdingontohopetoday.com us better understand ourselves.
