Big Joe had three partners in the original Miller- Norell company (which later evolved into Miller Triplett because Mr. Triplett was "THE ONLY PARTNER WHO DID NOT HAVE HIS PUT BRAIN IN BACKWARDS") in the 60s- and they were into touch feely leadership (especially Mr. Norell ) thingie and so they brought in a leadership course company from California- it was not Dale Carnegie -but it was something like that. You know the "visualize success" and "Zig Zeiglier if you dream it and plan it and act it it will happen" thing.
So anyway this Leadership Course for the office staff and partners cost a few thousand in the late 1960s, when that was real money, and all the office people in the company (not including surveyors there were probably 25 people) had to come in from 6 am- 8am each morning for a week for this course. There they met in small groups and large groups learning how to be a leader, and listen, and emote, actively listen before stating your opionion, respect and use other people opinions when making decisions, and making effective speeches, a and well... all that kind of stuff.
So at the end of the course on Friday morning they say "Okay well you all have performed very well wow this is a GREAT group of accomplished leaders... and we will be handing out these Gold Framed Diplomas certifying that you have graduate from XXXXXX Course on Outstanding Executive Leadership. It will tell the world that you are an accmplished leader... etc etc et & All we need you, do to in about 500 words is write on this form, how this course has helped you become a better leader, and person, and then you will received your beautiful engraved gold framed Diploma showing everyone YOU are an oustanding leader."
So the guy hands out the comment form to the participants and everybody gets busy busy busy writing about how the course has helped them...except.. you guessed it: Big Joe.
Now Big Joe is sitting there in his mediation pose .... which for those who knew him in person that would be when his glasses slide half way down his nose while he grasped the bridge of his nose with his thumb and fore finger of his right hand and rubbed his head with his left hand back and forth... back and forth.
For those of us familiar with that pose that signaled to us that it was nigh on time to clear the room- because after he had medidated, oh say 30 seconds, someone was going to get a verbal ass kicking and get it good.
But this guy did not know all of this so he interrupts Dad's medidation and says "well Joe why aren't YOU writing down how this course has helped develop you into a better leader and person?"
Big Joe looks up and says (and I have this memorized I think) "BECAUSE THE ONLY THING I LEARNED THIS WEEK IS MY PARTNERS ARE #badword#ING IDIOTS FOR PAYING GOOD MONEY FOR THIS SILLY ASS SCAM THAT SOME CALIFORNIA FAGGOT DREAMED UP IN HIS SPARE TIME AND I WOULD NOT USE YOUR #badword#ING DIPPLOMA TO WIPE MY ASS."
Oh to have been a fly on the wall
