I used to work in a large chain bookstore (actually, I worked in four different ones). I enjoyed my time there. I did all the standard stuff – shelving books, ringing sales, doing special orders, helping customers.
There was one afternoon when I was at the front desk, trying to place the previous day’s special orders. We had a little bell on the counter that people could ring if they needed help with anything and no employees were available. I was just finishing an order and I heard someone approaching the counter. I had to finish typing in the ISBN of a book (ten digits) and I heard the bell. “Half a second …” I typed the last few digits, then headed to the counter.
“Welcome to Crown Books. How can I help you?” I looked at the customer and noted the man was large. Really large. The image of a brick wall came to mind.
Standing in front of me was George Foreman. Olympic gold medalist, heavy-weight champion George Foreman. All I had going through my mind was that he was huge. I can’t conceive of going up against him in a boxing ring. He was a very imposing presence.
He had his son with him and they were looking for a book his son needed for school. I looked it up and tried finding it on the shelves but we didn’t have any left. I ended up taking a special order for them.
Mr. Foreman was incredibly nice, and very friendly. He treated you like you were valuable and worthy of attention. For someone with such credentials, plus the fame and fortune that went with them, he might have been an arrogant jerk. But he was just a ‘regular guy’. I appreciated that about him.
He came back to the store several more times, usually to special order more books. He was always pleasant to deal with.
I remember getting to hear him speak at some book event or another. He related that he was a thug in his younger days. He joked that he didn’t understand why people ran away when he held them up. “I just want your money!’ he said, like it was no big deal. Even as a thug he was good-natured.
He managed to go from that to winning a gold medal in the Olympics for boxing, having legendary boxing matches with Joe Frazier and Muhammed Ali, becoming an entrepreneur when he launched the George Foreman Grill, and becoming a preacher. He was a true rags-to-riches story.
Rest well, Mr. Foreman. And thanks for being such a great guy.
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