Was Wally Smith a visionary except with his own children?
When I was in my early 20’s, I made a trek up McKinney Road from Oliver and over to the Rock Creek bridge. The reason for the trek was to try to determine what I wanted to do with my life. It was at that time I decided I wanted to farm. Of course I really hadn’t thought that through, but I thought that Wally would be happy to have me, his only son, take over the farm.
I hitch hiked back to Oliver and approached Wally with the happy news of my impending take over. Wally responded to me as if I was planning an insurrection. I was shocked as my dream went up in the flames of Wally’s anger.
A few years later, one of my sisters approached Wally with the same idea to give him a break from the farm by taking it over. She too was rebuffed.
Wally was a self made man who worked predominantly by himself. He hired help when he wanted it, but he made that decision. It seems that when my sister and I approached him with our take over idea, and even though we were family, he felt blind sided, at least that was the way he responded.
If Wally had been in my shoes he would have gone ahead and found a farm to work as a business which would indicate what kind of an operator he was. He would prove to everybody that he could do it.
I think he wanted me to prove my worth to him, but I totally missed the point.
Of course I’m only assuming this, but since writing my column for ODN I’ve come to know my Dad and the man I call Wally Smith in a way I didn’t know was possible.
As I read his columns, I may be able to answer the visionary question.