Ai N Me. By Craig Sawicki
To set the stage Zev Braun, the son of one of the founders of my employer (W Braun Company) was a movie and television producer. He produced the movie Freedom Road starring Mohamed Ali and they became friends. One day Zev called and asked if we could use an "excellent administrative assistant"? During his fighting years Ali's right arm was a woman named Marge Thomas, his secretary and administrative assistant. Marge was from Chicago and wanted to get off the road and settle back home to a 9 to 5 job. We hired her and she easily lived up to the description of her talents. At that time, Meanwhile, because Zev and Ali worked so closely together on the "Freedom Road" movie project they got to be great friends and they would do anything to help each other.
Marge was in her late 5O's and a doting grandmother. She was the epitome of the strong black woman, standing close to 6 feet tall and as tough as nails while still gentle and maternal to her friends, that I'm happy to say included me. Marge first started as a secretary and administrative assistant to the CEO Morris Braun, and after a few years I was able to steal her for myself. Then later she became our inside salesperson for the Midwest. An inside salesperson usually handles "walk ins" and small accounts that frequently are not very credit worthy. Business to business sales is almost always on a credit line but on the size of the customer and or sales history. Frequently a salesperson not only has to negotiate with the customer but also needs to negotiate payment terms with their own company's finance or credit department. As such the inside salesperson's constant nemesis is the Credit Manager, but I'll get back to that.
As a teenager in Chicago, I boxed at the North Austin Soy's League. We boxed in the basement of the 15'" district police station on Chicago Ave and Central Ave. I fancied myself as a pretty good boxer and loved to watch the professional fights, laying on the living room floor watching lV sometimes with my dad. My father worked the graveyard shift, 6 days a week on a printing press so when that opportunity happened to watch a fight together it was special. Ali was always my favorite so when I had the opportunity to meet him I was excited! Ali owned what I'm told was once Al capone's mansion in Berien Springs Michigan. Marge luckily had a small account in Kalamazoo so we took the opportunity to visit him a few times after visiting that account. He had a love of magic tricks and I liked magic as well so we hit it off. He gave me a number of tricks and props that he signed and that I still have and cherish. I remember the first time we met at his studio (above the 6 car garage), I was amazed by the size of his hands. His fists were the size of a canned ham!
July of 1990 Ali was in Chicago and let us know he was going to stop by the office for a visit. Word got around fast. Al Cohen, our credit manager was as excited as a school boy to meet Ali. Al was a great guy and a close friend. Al was rather small guy, maybe 5 foot 6. Marge, Joan Corman (our HR director) Ali anc I were standing in the front lobby talking when Al came rushing up to meet him. He held out his hand to shake hands saying "so great to meet you Mr. Ali". Ali solidly took his hand, basically enveloping it, pulled Al close, looked down at him and loudly said "Did you call me a nof#*zr?". Al's eyes opened to the size of silver dollars, his mouth agape and muttered "what? No'! No! No!". Ali, still firmly hugging on to Al's hand said "l heard you. You called me a nof#*zr!" Squirming and trying to escape, Al was as white as a ghost. A few seconds passed in silence when Marge and Ali both burst into laughter and Ali pulled Al in and gave him a hug. Marge's plan for revenge was perfectly executed. Everyone knows what a great boxer Ali was, but I'm lucky enough to know what a great and generous guy he was as well.
Комментарии