EP331: The Winner Who Always Finished Last, From Farm Boy to Founder and The Day President Truman Came to Town

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Even if you're not feet deserve a go to like that like hey do to live comfy good to go to Mrs. Lee Habib and this is our American stories. The show were America's star and the American people up next, we have another listener story center was from Roger Runge in Iowa today. Roger is showing a story about his stepson thing called the winter always finish last. This is the story of the kid who finished last. Every time he ran in the slowest teen with the slowest runners and he was the slowest of the slow, often coming in several seconds behind the other runners for three years and track meet after track meet after track me. He finished last. It had not always been so in seventh grade. He was the fastest kid on his cross-country team and competed with the best runners from the other schools in his last mean he finished 12th out of 169 runners and the other 11 ahead of him were all a year older and eighth grade. He loved running and look forward to getting better and faster then tragedy struck. A tumor was found in the back of his brain.

This after a lifelong genetic disease that limited his physical activity is whole life running was the first athletic thing he was able to do now that was being taken away.

He endured a year and 1/2 of radiation and chemo because of his rare disease. Sometimes the doctors weren't sure how to treat them. There were difficult days, including 17 in a row where he was unconscious for most of it over the Christmas holiday. The tumor was removed quickly after being discovered. He made it through treatment and many months of physical therapy for four years now.

He's been in remission, but cancer left its mark is radiation and chemo treatments told much of his physical strength, balance, speed and endurance that seventh grade flyer is long gone, but he ran anyway. He joined his track team and competed as hard as he could.

He ran his best every race and improved his personal best time he cheered on his teammates and inspired them every time he ran the clock said he came in last again and again. Those who know him would tell you a much different story.

So when his mom and I walk sage out onto the track on senior night. We couldn't have been proud in the bulletin, noting his plans after high school graduation.

These were of his own in this life you will experience hardship and tribulation, but don't let those life altering experiences define as a person. Write your own story defy the odds sage holster. Real winners are not the ones with the fastest times they are the ones who keep running and always give their best.

They never give up. They take their tests and make it their testimony. They turn their tragedies into triumph.

They inspire others to make the most of what they have. They believe there is purpose in all of life's challenges and they do their best while cheering others on to greatness. The clock may tell one story, but their lives, tell another. This is the story of a runner who could have quit when tragedy struck and never set foot on track again. Instead, he lysed up his shoes and endured the humiliation of finishing last. Every time because he loved to run and inspire others. Sometimes he wonders what could have been what if he never got cancer. How fast would he be able to run good heels. Once the metals gone to state those questions will always linger in his head, but he gave a small with what he had. That's all any of us can do sages developed other skills in life that he's working on things like music.

He taught himself to play guitar and recorded some of his own songs even perform them before his peers. He's worked extremely hard to develop that talent with years of hard work and he knows that probably wouldn't have happened if it weren't for cancer is attitude faith and trust in God's purpose for his life has grown by leaps and bounds, and he still running as fast as his remaining strength and endurance will take clocks don't determine the winners. People do.

By the way they choose to live there. The ones who keep running and never give up no matter what obstacles they face or what life throws at them. Sage will keep running his race.

Let's all follow his example and run our race with perseverance. Let's keep doing our best every day. Forget about everyone else and stay focused on improving ourselves and getting better each day. Let's take what we've been given and make the most of it to all the winners never finish first. Roger and a special thanks to Madison for work on the production of a special thanks to Roger Runge and I will listener and a contributor. Thanks also to sage for providing his example write your own story. Sage said the 5 yard Roger put it right. Clocks don't determine winners people do and sage will keep running this race. That's we all have to do in the end, folks, we have to keep running a race. My favorite quote on all this comes from one of my heroes John wooden said about success. Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable and phases. Life is a living example sages story how many of us running our own race. Maybe not getting the blue ribbon running anyway and running for the joy of this is our American store. Our American stories we bring you inspiring stories and history, sports, business, faith and love stories from the great and beautiful country need to be told we can't do it without you are stories are free to listen to with her not free to make you love are stories in America like we do.

Please allow American stories.com and click the donate button give a little of a lot help us keep the great American stories coming American stories.com. Millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and United healthcare can help you feel confident about your choices for those eligible Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7. If you're working past age 65. You might be able to delay Medicare enrollment. Depending on your employer coverage. It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be this@uhcmedicarehealthplans.com to learn more United healthcare helping people live healthier lives. I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent make sure my business days equal and confident business owners to help you fast State Farm is in your corner and on my neighbor. There call your local State Farm agent for quote today doing household chores can Artie be time-consuming and tedious. There's nothing more daunting and facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be done can be overwhelming for anyone. If you want to get those larger laundry loads down right and get back to your life. Try all free clear maggot packs all three clear mega packs are bigger packs two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular pack so that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry free, clear, mega packs are also 100% free of perfumes and dyes and their dental and skin which is great for any family sensitive skin needs my family. We definitely have sensitive skin. The next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation as that's cause this big pile of dirty clothes all free clear maggot packs have your back purchase all free, clear mega packs today and conquer any laundry load for all fabric types and we continue with our American stories, and now we bring you Doug writer with his next addition of our founders series about how everyday Americans risk it all follow their dreams out people of its doubts and challenges found great businesses, enterprises, churches, nonprofits, firms, my goodness, as de Tocqueville noted when he visited discrete country American startup of just about every kind of enterprise imaginable on the founder work on old engines as early as seven years old.

In this episode we bring you an inventive farm boy from Newburgh, Oregon boy obsessed with engine and fill with insecurities. I felt very insecure.

No self-confidence. Something happened that really changed my life.

I got the flu right at the beginning of school that I was home in bed with that and the student elections came up for the session class and somebody nominated me for student council freshmen represent. I came back to school and got congratulations represent the freshman class on. I feel it is I tell you now somebody like this is the story of how boy would battle these insecurities his entire life. If that hadn't happened.

What I withdrawn and stated Herman on the farm in my hand and would one day build the second largest deadly manufacturing company on today's episode of the founder we bring you the story of Ken Austin. All I knew was a farm life. You have very few toys I think I was about nine when my grandmother gave me a pair for express. I was so disappointed in one of the darn And in 1942. My dad sent me a postcard when I was summer school your heifer had a beautiful little heifer. Now I've got to go is getting pretty excited because that was buying the mill so I had to pay for the fee and the time I got to high school I had over 10 sold the cows and bought a car and a welder started a shop called the Rod shop with welding vendors and painting cars and fixing engine I wanted more than I have.

I have this want want want want. It was like if you wanted to go to work for and want that Ken talks about often came from his need to prove something to himself and to others as a sophomore. I was building this is a class project to learn from him.

You are one of the fastest productive care that ever had in class, but you were the last one ever get a project done.

I had my desk ready to start doing up.

Then I went around the room and was BS in with the other students in telling him how cool is one of my high school classmates told me you have an inferiority complex that you're trying to cover up with a superiority complex psychiatrist on the one time I was probably some of the best advice ever given to me and say that I was trying to look good.

No, I wasn't building the best cut it out fast.

Once it was done I had to tell the world I was a big I think that ego is our enemy and and I really have come to believe in the last 30 years of my life. That ego is edging God out, edging, e.g.'s thirst for attention carried on through college pursuing a degree in industrial engineering at Oregon State University's academics would often come second active social pickup truck and a couple cases of beer you are doing proper so popular is Navy ROTC commitment was in jeopardy. Mr. Austin were sorry but your going to have to take the freshman year of ROTC over and start next year again when you guys. Col. Morris was our commander. I met him on the Memorial Union steps one day and he said quit school and join the Air Force that you know you will be scrubbing sidewalks earlier as an enlisted man because you're too young to get you through officer training, US website hocks I thought had no scripts. I like if that had happened, I might've dropped out of school but I was determined that I was going to piles with a renewed focus, Ken decided to stay in school and enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program and despite Ken's mind now being in the clouds is true love can continue to work with car now not only building but racing them to. We went down to the drag races that I was raising two cars that I was dating in the fourth portion have my fraternity.

I promise. I love you will go for.

We came back from that day of restaurant and my girlfriend said you give up the idea of being a pilot in the Air Force and racing cars.

Okay, put my hand out and she started to cry and that it won't work. Ken would not let a girl tell them what to do and so he moved on rather quickly and started dating a girl named Joanne, the sister of Air Force was also from his hometown, Newburgh, Oregon. A year later they married. Everything seemed to be on the up and up again on the verge of graduation and found out the Air Force had another plan for him. He was commissioned as an officer can roll with the punches. He went to pilot school to become a mechanic and test pilot where he finished his degree and earned his diploma while starting a family, going from job to job in the Air Force as a test pilot radar controller and maintenance officer and wasn't sure if her career in the military was right for him or his family. Col. Grabowski war work to ace was our base commander and he said if I get to flying the assignment.

We stay two more years. That was a decision pointed Joanne and I had to deal with were ready to go home or go on two years.

Air Force and had to make that decision. Overnight the Col. next morning, one where the other and we chose to hang goes from job to job as a machinist and an engineer seven jobs in eight years. Needless to say, Ken was ready to be his own boss.

After getting fired from the deadly manufacturing company in Denver for not completing a complicated project in time Ken saw an opportunity and saw some guys doing something I could do no better told Joanne we could go back to Portland and start a little business making dental vacuum system selling them to the individual doctors or to distribute is nobody doing that independent maker of actors and she said I'll help you. Even if we have to live on Britain be an took out a piece of paper start sketching what I was going to do tomorrow start making parts tomorrow and that was the beginning of Ken Austin's very own company that starts a whole new journey to hold to new problem. A whole new journey in a whole bunch of problems when we come back more of Kim Austin story part of our founders series here on our American story millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and United healthcare can help you feel confident about your choices for those eligible Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7. If you're working past age 65. You might be able to delay Medicare enrollment. Depending on your employer coverage.

It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be this@uhcmedicarehealthplans.com to learn more United healthcare helping people live healthier lives. I know everything about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent make sure my business and confident business owners to help you best.

State Farm is in your corner and on neighbor call your local State Farm agent for quote today doing household chores can Artie be time-consuming and tedious. There's nothing more daunting than facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be done can be overwhelming for anyone. If you want to get those larger laundry loads down right and get back to your life. Try all three clear maggot packs all three clear mega packs are bigger packs two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular pack so that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry all three clear mega packs are also 100% free of perfumes and dyes and their dental and skin which is great for any family sensitive skin needs my family. We definitely have sensitive skin.

The next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation as that's cause this big pile of dirty clothes. All three clear maggot packs purchase all three clear mega packs today and conquer any laundry load for all fabric types all return to the story get back to Doug writer. This again a part of the founders. After getting the go-ahead from his wife Joanne Ken was ready to get working on his first aid product air vacuum system for years, going to the dentist meant spitting into balls. Ken Austin's invention error vacuum system made that thing and I went to a little shop that was there in Broomfield, Colorado forward live and asked if I can rent their machinery to make it work and he got a few sales and improved on his product.

Eventually getting the attention of what was at the time the largest dental equipment manufacturing company in the United States.

They loved his products so much.

They place the $12,000 order worth almost 100 grand today though Ken did not have the money in the bank to lead such a large so the company that bought my first product grip stick me with a $10,000 check on $12,000, and I remember telling the man as he had told her how trust me, all you why you're doing this after I've had seven jobs.

This is my eighth job eight years after college have been fired on three occasions and Mr. Mac said, I trust. Good thing he did because Ken would create some of the most innovative equipment. Dennis, including one of the first downtown you might not remember but dentistry used to be a standing professional. But thanks to Ken Austin. Dennis can now sit while working, avoiding years of chronic back with the growth of a Ken was consumed by his business in the wealth and status with leaving what's most important in the written or social life changed with well when you get invited to be on board things that you know it's like wow this is really cool but we were invited to join the Young Presidents organization and now you're with highrollers around the world and a good opportunity to drink the best moves in the best places with you might say the best people and Ken liked his booze.

Maybe two and they just made an and I started searching during that period of time is there anything you can do about it first tends wife Joanne did not take his problem very serious district, much less drink? But when we both been on alcoholic recovery program and talking about that subject only, she told the audience a question was asked to do everything about divorce.

We never talk about wars or separation, and it just surprised me when she said all yes many times so she went through a lot of silent which hurts me today to think of what I put her through the last five years of our life were very good together making up for all of those bedtime, but you can't go back and fix those bad times and especially when summer is gone, an effect on your kids like my son said that you're never never able to play ball with me because you have so you want to bear, and then was like one more beer and then say why The bulk of the Senior law was never a ballplayer, but that was what was happening. It was more important than family or after reading this article from the top businessmen in Portland have this wedding problem I have, having you have 10 years later can learn to manage his insecurities and his ego calmly filling the hole in his heart with his ambition, accomplishments, and alcohol and now found something more lasting. January 1, 1982.

All I had to do was admit I was powerless over my life and become an and I can turn my will and my life for the power greater than myself.

God as we understand and I God is a punishing God for sin. I have been named, signed, sealed and delivered as a center. This is impossible to know how it I close my eyes are just sitting there with the winter beach house my eyes and the C: by the window executables New Mexico nobody I know that my speaker and I accepted that there is a God, greater than myself a power greater than myself and the guy that I understand is the maker and the who makes the waves in the ocean who makes the tide. I know who raises the level of the Columbia River Bonneville dam as man, but it isn't somebody over name and says shift when Bush is a big lever that Experiences it is a power myself. I haven't had a drink since it 37 years and thanks so much to Ken Austin, especially for his vulnerability for its authenticity and for sharing. Well, not just the good in his life, but the unpleasant to take. So I guess to do that and it helps people, helps people understand other people and helps us all understand each other when were open and honest. That's we trying to do here on the show all the time. And special thanks also to Doug writer founders series were doing well. It's founders of companies like Adak and that's Ken's company that he founded and it will be every kind of company, entity, church, nonprofit, you name it and founders are just different but not better than not worse. Got to go the wrong way and starting up something from scratch and building up my goodness it's a wonderful thing and it's an awful thing because there's a lot of sacrifices that it made and a lot gets lost and we learn from Karen, my goodness only said he become quite well.

He put it best unless and the wealth in the and the privileges that came with building a great company while his family was squandered and ultimately he just kept hitting the bottom. You know the story and let's face it, thank goodness for Adak I'm in my goodness. I remember when I would have to spit into a bottle. It would get all over me and it just made the experience of getting a root canal or anything else. While even more unpleasant and it's not pleasant.

Never got a big lever comes up with that intention. My goodness that's something in allowing dentist to set they'd always stood before and what a life altering accomplishment and achievement that wasn't against the innovation of free enterprise and the miracle of free enterprise.

What story thanks again to Ken Austin is story story all founders series here on our Americans. Millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and United healthcare can help you feel confident about your choices for those eligible Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7. If you're working past age 65. You might be able to delay Medicare enrollment. Depending on your employer coverage.

It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be this UHC Medicare health plans.com to learn more United healthcare helping people live healthier lives. I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent and company business owners to help you pass. State Farm is in your corner and on neighbor call your local State Farm agent for quote today doing household chores can Artie be time-consuming and tedious. There's nothing more daunting and facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be done can be overwhelming for anyone. If you want to get those larger laundry loads down right and get back to your life. Try all three clear mega packs all three clear mega packs are bigger packs two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular pack so that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry all three clear mega packs are also 100% free perfumes and dyes and gentle on skin, which is great for any family sensitive skin needs my family.

We definitely have sentence again the next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation as that's cause this big pile of dirty clothes. All three clear mega tax purchase all three clear mega packs today and conquer any laundry load for all fabric types, and we returned to our American stories about next story about when or 33rd president made an all-important visit to a small town in Monte Montgomery with the store Dexter pilot is a small town with a lot of hard even though it's population has never exceeded a thousand people.

There's a history of the Barrow gang had been issued out there. They hosted an amusement park at one point it was also once a presidential campaign stop the presidential campaign stop that Alexis is standing on September 1948, Pres. Truman came to Dexter. I will for the national plowing match that it was a big deal. The national climate. Big big.

What exactly is a plowing it's a competition to see who's the best judge them on and judge them on different things about the tractor their plows and there were judges that judge how well you plow the field house. It was how open it was.

They had some other like conservation, like making a pot limit upon my uncles farm. They blew up using dynamite. They blew up land.

They made a waterway drain water off and stuff.

This was a statewide. Thanks. It was a national bank to so there you have lots of people coming in from like there's another was an airport south of Dexter Southwest Dexter that they like 120 airplanes by bringing people they decimated the crowd between 75 and 100,000 how did Pres. Truman even get involved. It boils down to the drive of radio personality. Truman's opponent and like a lot of things in politics whole numbers guy. He was writing a guest with a fellow by the name of Thomas Dewey from New York and Thomas Dewey was so far ahead in the polls. Her plan that famous WHO farm personality was in charge of organizing this whole thing in her plan back called wet talk Thomas Dewey and ask him you want to be the headliner out here Dexter and talk to these people and doing said in so many words I doing pretty well in the I don't think I need to come out to Iowa and to talk so her plan back then called up and scheduled a meeting with with Truman and normally there are a limited time basis with the talk, the presence on the date they they've made an appointment to talk to Truman actually went over the time limit is Truman like talking Truman was a use one of those guys like to talk to. He was a former farmer to me. As far as he was a farming occupation before he got into politics and he said well boys I said I would really like to come out that he says I don't think the Secret Service will allow me to do what I want to do in us to go out and mingle and talk to people in and so on. So when her plan back left that meeting, he thought, will guys. I don't think I don't think so. Kind of stuck that way until like three weeks before the event and White House calls her plan backups is Truman's, through a big ranch because they had to make sure that no security had to be better a lot of things that had to do to perfect the president Truman started already used in Davenport on the Rock Island line, the one arrested Dexter and was across the state and he gave a speech there early in the morning that he gave a speech at Oxford.

I want to live in a speech fingernail in a speech in those were just preliminary blue picked up his wife Bess and his daughter Margaret in the morning and they rode the train out the Dexter band Dexter band was there to meet Truman.

I believe they played the Missouri walls on Monday when he arrived at the depot Dexter had brought his Cadillac is robin egg blue Cadillac out my uncle being styles about three days before everybody was wondering what the heck was that was going on, bring that blue Cadillac out here and eventually they figured out that was the president be stopping in and going out to the plowing match but he was concerned, still concerned about the Secret Service block.

This style became anyway the people said that were setting literally when Truman saw the crowd. Truman saw how big the crowd was. He said his. He had a smile from here to here. He was just loving that you send this is going to give me an opportunity to really to get my cam. I'm so far behind. It can't hurt to give me a chance to hammer home.

I placed the majority of these farmers that were of Republican persuasion, but he got 13 ovations that day and he really hammered on the Republican do-nothing city called the do-nothing Congress was his first major campaign speech of the 1948 election he use this type of campaign.

The whistle stop using the train traveling around stop and talk in small towns, the people to actually turn the tide. It's interesting when Thomas Dewey found out hundred people hundred thousand people showed up, Dexter, Iowa. He got a little nervous and he actually got the Republicans in in Iowa to have campaign thing for him in the morning and they actually got like 15,000 people to hear Thomas doing give a speech widget which is a pretty good crowd, but nothing like Truman but anyway when Truman was here. He ate lunch we have stuff in the museum.

The tablecloth actually that that was on the table that he ate off of. But anyway he ate lunch out there.

Had fried chicken dinner mashed potatoes and corn relish tray and all apple pie that had different kinds of pie and then he went went out on a wagon to look at some of the projects are conservation projects that they were doing that day. It wasn't only a plowing contest with some like they were making a pond in the remaking waterways and they were doing some other stuff conservation things that out there and that in that area as well. But anyway, he went out and he was on the back of a hay wagon the course. The Secret Service was with him and they were there cruising along Secret Service looked around, Truman was on the wagon anymore. You jumped off the wagon and he was heading down to where they were making this pond and we called Walker's pond back when I was on Howard Walker's property.

This type of property back in there but anyway so those people that were on the bulldozers had actually been told by the Secret Service earlier that if Truman came down there to turn off the bulldozers and you just sit on the bulldozers. So if the present comes over must ask questions and in that kind of thing in and so that's what they did. They softly saw the sky coming down the figured it was Truman or someone recognizing so they turned their bulldozers often. Truman got down there was chatting with them like you don't like you normally chat with people in the said wall. When you turn off your bulldozers for you guys got work to do, is all. We were told by the Secret Service to to do that.

Truman said well he said next time ask you to do that utilities SLB is that you're going to do that. You just keep right on working. They got a big laugh out of that course. The Secret Service is down and puts it back on the wagon and away they go. That was Truman but he did get to talk to some of the people out there, but like I said this.

This was a huge boost to his is turn the tide as far as his his election and he was really the only one in the article I read he was only one.

Even his wife had given up so far behind that is going to lose and he sees that we need start packing things up and get back to Missouri and and live in independence warehouse. There is want to give up yet.

The election came in November and he was listening to, and he was holding his own in doing wasn't blowing them away. He goes to bed thinking that probably the next morning that no maybe I will be president that he was kind of had a quiet confidence, he thought he thought he was going when the next morning.

The results are a ruling in Truman's wedding and is good he's going to end up winning the election was a huge, huge, upset, and there was no way that he was supposed to land that they say that when all started right here in a one horse town Dexter I will in 19 September 4, and a great job as always on the production and the storytelling by Monty Montgomery and a special thanks to Ron Stanley of the Dexter Museum in Dexter, Iowa Dexter is one light town in the small museum is right off the main street running through it. If you're in the neighborhood, drop by and take a visit. We love visiting these really small small towns and telling stories about them in the national plowing match 1948 helps propel Truman to victory the story of Dexter and Harry Truman's campaign victory here in our American store