First Impressions Count

Your past is a good indication of what you’ll do in the future.

- Harry James Ford

Getting my first official job when I turned 16 in 1959 taught me valuable skills. John Monsour, a pleasant, hardworking man and the owner of Penhurst Fruit Market, wanted me to work for him. My mother and grandmother were longtime shoppers and he admired their reputations.

He hired me to work after school and all day on Saturdays. My starting wage was 30 cents an hour, but Mr. Monsour told me that once I learned the job and became more valuable, he would increase my pay to 85 cents an hour, close to minimum wage.