A few months ago I told MB that I would probably not write any more articles about him. I lied. The reason I write so much about MB is that he is, well, more interesting than the rest of us.
My favorite grandson named Jacob is just finishing 7th grade. Today I took him to get his Social Security card and we talked about money. Jacob is just learning how to earn, save, and spend money. What he learns at this age by managing a small amount of money will provide a foundation for the future when he hopefully will need a real financial planner.
About 30 years ago, I taught a group of teenage men at church. We discussed some of the things they could choose to do to keep their options open — good grades, careful driving, choosing good friends, good habits, and integrating church teachings into their personal lives. To help them learn the importance of keeping their options open, I brought a copy of Parade Magazine for discussion. The magazine listed pictures of people in various careers and their annual salaries.
The final printed edition of Parade Magazine was published on Nov. 13, 2022. Some readers of this column will recall that this was a full-color insert for the Sunday edition of many newspapers. Our quorum found the financial aspects of career choices to be fascinating. None of them were interested in a career with the minimum wage option — $3.10/hr at that time.
The other quorum advisors were professionals at the INL or successful businessmen in their own right. To a man, these advisors were faithful church members and great examples of industry, success, and making correct choices. MB was exceptional. He inherited/owned/managed the largest propane distributorship west of the Mississippi and flew around in the company plane, at times taking some of these young men up for a joyride. You may be familiar with some of the endowed buildings on the ISU campus in Idaho Falls and Pocatello. Although exceptionally hard-working, MB was teased about going to work each morning, then, after opening the mail, spending the rest of the day hunting or fishing. A few of us understood some of the complexity of being in charge while trying to please everyone in a large family business. It was from watching MB that I learned no matter how much good you do in the world, someone will always be aggravated with you.
At the conclusion of what I thought was a brilliant lesson, I asked if any of the quorum members had decided what they would like to do for a profession, based on what we had discussed that day. One smart aleck said, “Yes, we all want to do what MB does.” Smiles broke out all around and MB had to interrupt the laughter to explain. As the richest man any of us had ever known personally, he pretty well summed it all up, when he said, “Brethren, it really makes no difference how much money you make — once you are married, there is never enough.”
Ever vigilant,
RT