Few Words
Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States, was popularly known as “Silent Cal.” One time at a party, a woman walked up to him and said, “My husband bet me I couldn’t get three words out of you.”
Coolidge replied, “You lose.”
Respect and Position
During the eight years he served as Eisenhower’s vice president, Richard Nixon had many reminders of the esteem accorded to people in his position. Once, the Nixons were staying at a hotel in Chicago when a fire alarm went off in the middle of the night. Hundreds of guests, including Dick and Pat Nixon, were herded into the lobby.
Once Nixon realized that it was a false alarm, he and his wife headed for the elevator.
“Just a minute,” said the hotel’s security chief. “Everyone stays in the lobby until we get the all clear.”
“I’m the vice president,” Nixon said.
“Oh,” the security chief said. “Sorry. Go right ahead.”
Nixon pressed the elevator button, and the security chief had second thoughts. “Vice president?” he said. “Of what?”
“Of the United States,” Nixon answered.
“Get back out here,” the security chief said. “I thought you were a vice president of the hotel.”
Corporate Change
When the company I worked for had an employee-suggestion competition, I told my staff to submit entries that would save money for the firm.
The winner was a man in my department who suggested we post corporate memos on bulletin boards instead of printing 200 individual copies for distribution. He got a helium balloon with the company logo and one share of stock.
A memo announcing the prize went out to 200 people.
