Dean-Hey Heritage

Agent, Abilene Reporter-News

Northwestern Steel & Wire
Sterling

Electric Arc Furnace No. 8

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform: What other explanation can there be for the many ups and downs that culminated in Dad achieving a successful business that met all of his family's needs?

At age twenty-one, Dad entered into his first business venture: agent for the Abilene-Reporter News. He thoroughly enjoyed driving up and down the streets of Colorado City, Texas, throwing out rolled newspapers to both sides of the street with such accuracy that customers could find their papers in the same spot each morning and evening. Thirteen hundred sixty-five papers a day provided a good living. The one disagreeable part of the business was collecting $1.25 from each customer every month, especially when he had to return three or four times to the same home because the housewife had "no money" until her husband returned from the oil field.

At age twenty-five, Dad gave up the paper business to move to Illinois and a job waiting for him at Northwestern Steel and Wire Co. However, I backed out at the last minute—I did not want to move back to Illinois. Dad was forced to take the only job available—selling cars for a DeSoto-Plymouth dealer. He traded his jeepster for a new Plymouth, and Floyd let him make a set of seat covers for the new car. Because Dad hated his new job so much, I gave in and we moved to Illinois in August, 1954. (Steve was one year old.)

Dad went to work at Northwestern Steel & Wire in the industrial engineering department. Later he worked as the personnel manager, but returned to a more active position as the "lubrication engineer." Here he was continually at odds with union workers who were slow to respond to his call for a millwright to repair a leak. So Dad would pick up a wrench and fix it himself, causing the union man to file a grievance against him. (recollections by Jan Dean)