First Jobs 5.0 Full Circle
Back to the Minit Saver Market - 1987
My winter quarter classes were all completed at UT Martin, and I returned to Tullahoma. Because I went that first summer, and the next summer, I got out a quarter early, and caught up with several people that were a year ahead of me. I'm not sure what my hurry was, those were really good days! In June of 1987 I went back and walked the graduation line.
Upon returning to Tullahoma, I moved right back into my old room, at my mom and dad's house. I went back to work at the store. My parents were glad to have me back, and I was glad to be back.
After about a week, back at the store, dad had a project for me. He ordered concrete to be brought by in the big mixer truck, and dumped in a pile close to Wilson Avenue on his vacant lot.
There were some holes and bad spots between the highway pavement and the edge of the concrete shoulder. My job was to take a shovel, and a wheelbarrow, and fill up those holes and smooth out the concrete.
Maybe I was a little too full of myself and getting on his nerves. Maybe he had been meaning to patch those holes for years. Either way, the holes got patched. When people saw me out there pushing a wheel barrow, they would say to my dad, Looks like Steve is back. My dad would say something like, Yep, he's home from college! He's all educated!
I was reminded a person is never too smart push a wheelbarrow, and pick up a shovel.
In June 1987, I started my first "real" job working for Kraft Foods. .