I need to write this one out while it is still fresh in my mind.Not less than an hour ago I went to the UPS Store in the Washington Square Shopping Center at the corner of Far Hills and Whipp Road, just a stone’s throw away from my studio. As I was walking to the door from my car when an elderly woman had just stepped out the store. She was dressed in designer clothing with more gold around her neck and on her ears than that stored at Ft. Knox. I could tell right away which circle she runs in.
I wasn’t even on the sidewalk yet before she glared at me and growled “I’M NOT HOLDING THE DOOR FOR YOU !”
“Well, you have a nice day too mam.”
Inside the store I told the clerk behind the counter about my encounter. “Oh, she was just in here cussing up a storm.”
That’s nice. It’s great in Dayton !
Anytime you venture out on the roads of the south suburbs of Dayton on a weekday, starting at about 10:00 am and going to 4:00 pm, you will see just how old the local demographics have become. It is during that time period when they make their Dorothy Lane Market/doctor visits/hair appointments/prescription pick-up runs, culminating with their evening meal from 4:00 to 5:00 pm at the MCL Cafeteria on David and Far Hills.
We need another series of extremely cold winters and blizzards so this group of crotchety old people start migrating to Florida again. This particular group of Ohioans (and what is it with them and gold and silver Buicks, especially in Centerville!) is well past the peak of their spending years, yet have more wealth stored away than they know what to do with. What always surprises me is how eccentric, cold and stingy they become the older they get, always stepping over dollars to pick-up pennies. Granted there are notable exceptions, one being my 84-year-old uncle who litterally runs circles around his contemporaries.
I contrast today’s experience with what I was exposed to yesterday while on an all-day photo shoot assignment for the University of Dayton, covering the speakers and participants at the annual R.I.S.E symposium on economics and finance held at the U.D. Arena (I got some great shots of the NASDAQ closing of the market ceremony). The last speaker of the day was Christopher Gardner, the investment broker who’s life story was the basis of the recent movie “The Pursuit of Happiness” starring Will Smith. Even before he spoke I had the opportunity to photograph Mr. Gardner interacting with students and posing for group shots. Here was a man who basically started out from not just the ground floor, but at one time was homeless, carrying everything he owned, as well as a 14-month old son, from shelter to shelter, all the while holding on to his dream of making it on Wall Street. Mr. Gardner was friendly to EVERYONE he came in contact with - from me, the photographer, to the wait staff in the Boesch Lounge to his interviewers to each and every student who came up to shake his hand.
As a freelance photographer who covers a variety events, I carefully observe group behavior, personalities and event dynamics. I’ve had both positive and negative experiences photographing all kinds of people. I can safely conclude that Christopher Gardner is one of those personalities that doesn’t need decorating with all kinds of gold jewelry or expensive clothes or an inflated ego. The gold he wears comes from deep inside. Although about 30 years junior to the old lady at the UPS Store, I think there’s an important lesson Mr. Gardner could teach the crotchety old bat. The problem is that she’s probably well past her capacity to learn and change.
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