A Father’s Advice

My father-in-law, Bob, was an amazing person. When he was 12, his father died in an auto accident. He was raised from then on by his mother, who supported the family by bringing in washing.

He attended the University of California, Berkley, majoring in mining engineering. While in school, he worked in northern California in a gold mine in order to support himself and pay for his education. We have a photo of him from that time with all his worldly possessions – a foot locker and a tarp. It’s been a tradition in our family to give each young person a copy of this photo to remind them of their roots and the importance of hard work. Bob told me once that many a cold morning in northern California, he woke with frost on his tarp.

Bob became very successful in the copper mining industry in Chile. He also developed a new technique for getting more copper from the ore. He was a man with amazing energy. He was twice awarded the highest honor that Chile can give to a non-citizen, the Bernardo O’Higgins Award, levels three and two. (The level one award is for Chilean citizens only.) It was always exciting to have “Grandpa Bob” visit us and share his adventures, especially his love of riding roller coasters!

When my father-in-law went to Chile, it was at the beginning of the Second World War. He chose Chile after graduation because it paid slightly better than the other two possibilities; Guam and the Philippines. One has to wonder what would have happened to him had he chosen one of the other countries.

Bob worked and lived in the mining camp in the Andes Mountains. Once the copper ore was mined, it was loaded onto a train. The ore traveled by train through a tunnel, then on to the processing area.

At that time, the sanitary conditions in the mine were rather primitive. There were boxes, about one foot wide, two feet long, and one foot deep, used to collect human poop. The lowest level job was the person who threw those boxes onto the ore pile as the train passed in the tunnel. This feat was no easy or pleasant task. The box had to be thrown about six feet high onto the train car. Bob had this job as his starting position!

Over the years, he advanced through the company and eventually became the mining company’s general director (CEO). BUT, he never forgot his lowly position in the beginning, as the person whose job was to dispose of the poop. When he was general director, each time he visited a mine, he made sure that he spoke with and shook the hand of the person who did that job. Annually, he also hosted a luncheon for all the men who did that job. He never forgot his roots.

When Bob passed away, I felt so very grateful that I had known him and that his undaunted spirit had touched my life. He was a true giant in my life.

Several years after he died, one of my sisters-in-law found a letter he had written to his sons, who were growing into manhood. I want to share this letter with you, just as he wrote it because it contains the spark of what made him amazing and successful.

Bob’s instructions embody his spirit and approach to life. His spirit and approach are ones that I hope the younger generations in my family can adopt. Perhaps these instructions will give you some ideas for guidance of the younger generation(s) in your family, also.