The Journey – Dan Winters
Education
Education of Daniel E. Winters
Lee College
College
I do not remember during my childhood of ever having a serious conversation of me or my siblings attending college or any schooling beyond high school graduation. We never visited a college campus or had any hopes of ever enrolling in any college. I thought college was only for wealthy people and I knew money was scarce and higher education would be costly and unaffordable. My parents and grandparents unusually dropped out of public schools before high school graduation to work and help their family survive. The goal for me and my siblings was for us to graduation from high school with a 12 grade education. No one in the Winters family or the Hale family had enrolled in any college that I knew of. None of my siblings enrolled in a school of higher learning.
I knew about a Church of God Bible Training School in Cleveland, TN. My uncle Bill Winters and my friend Lovell Cary had attended that school and we were very proud of their accomplishments but that was not one of my consideration. My plans were to work at any place I could make the most money.
One day after my high school graduation, my cousin David Robinson and his mother came from Huntington to visit. Dave challenged me to give up these businesses and enroll in Lee College at Cleveland, TN. My family members came to a party for me, and the small collection of money included a surprise $10.00 from Grandpa Hale. Grandpa John Winters and Grandma Addie Winters gave me a large bible, which I still have today. Going to Lee was a very exciting event for me, as I had not really traveled out of the 100-mile radius of Logan. Uncle Bill Winters was the only other family member to have left Logan to attend college, so it was a very serious matter to me although I hadn’t considered it a possibility until David came by. It was only 2-3 weeks before classes started so we had to rush things up quite a bit.
David’s mother and sister drove us to Cleveland, and assisted us in getting signed in. We went downtown Cleveland and purchased a few items that were necessary for our room and we moved into the Walker Hall dorm, which latter was renamed Medlin Hall. This was my first time to visit any college campus and I was very excited to have this new adventure of being among these people and living away from home.
But God never called me to preach. I did not meet a wife. I even bought a mandolin, hoping I could have a music ministry. Jim Humbertson tried to teach me to play the mandolin, but the flow did not go to my brain. I tried voice lessons from Mr. Andrew Yates, but he gave up on me. I traveled with A.T. Humphries and the campus choir but decided that God had given the ear for music to someone else.
I did not like being without money. I decided to do something about it. I went looking for an opportunity. I walked down the street in Cleveland, TN to Callaway’s Grocery Store and asked if they had any work I could do. They asked me what I wanted to do. The answer was “Whatever you want me to do.” When asked how much pay you have to have? ”I answered, “Whatever I am worth to you is what you can pay me.” As a college student I began to work for fifty cents an hour bagging groceries and cutting meat. I walked to work every Saturday morning from Walker Hall (now Medlin Hall). Then walked back to Lee College dining room for lunch and returned to the grocery store to work the remainder of the day.
Calloway’s was located the corner of Central Ave. and Ocoee Street across from where the Bradley County Court House is now located.
Back at the dorm I found a market for hot freshly cooked popcorn in Walker Hall, the boys’ dormitory at Lee. Most nights at about 9:00 p.m., David Robinson, my roommate would begin to pop a little bit of corn and the scent would quickly travel down the hallway and up the stairs. The guys would smell it and come to our room offering to buy some. We would fold a newspaper and make a cone and fill it with hot popcorn for a dime. Business was so good that I obtained the address from a can of corn and wrote the factory in Evansville, IN. I ordered a 25 pound bag of the un-popped corn, which was a great savings over the cost of buying it in a 10-ounce can. No one could ever explain why the dorm supervisors allowed this enterprise to exist when cooking was not allowed in any rooms. I suspect the supervisors may have found the hot popcorn too much of a temptation themselves. My classmates best remembered me for the popcorn venture.
Funds were not adequate for college expenses so after one semester I gave up the idea of college and decided to return home in January 1951. I did not know anything about student loans or grants. About 8 years later the government started the student loan program in 1958.
So I went back to Logan, I worked for a dry cleaner and outperformed any person who had previously held that route. I went back in the hollers where the road was very bad and solicited dry cleaning from people who had not been called upon for some time. Many of them had coats etc. that were badly in need of dry cleaning. While delivering to one of my customers in a nice neighborhood the husband was the manager for the local Electrolux Vacuum Cleaners Sales Agency. He told me of how much money his salespeople were making and hired me right on the spot. I gave proper notice to the dry cleaners and began selling vacuum cleaners. This was good sales training. Everyone was much older than me and had lots of experience. We would travel up to about 100 miles into the various coal mining neighborhoods and go door to door selling. Harlem Kentucky was one town that was a good market. Many years later I learned that it was very risky for a 19-year-old boy to be going door to door in that town, especially after dark.
In April 1951 I purchased a Dodge pickup truck which I later traded for a 1948 Plymouth car on November 19, 1951.
My father’s health became worse because of the pinched nerves in his back. The doctor prescribed that he relocate to a warmer climate and suggested he move to either Florida or Arizona. Dad chose Florida and decided to move near Frostproof, FL to escape the cold. It sounded good to me. I had hardly been out of West Virginia, and it was exciting. I would just need to get a job to make my car payments and help support the family. I resigned from Electrolux and became entitled to begin drawing monthly payouts on the contingences or reserves I had accumulated while working for them.
Move to Florida
Lovell and Genny Carey had moved to her hometown in Florida, where Lovell served as an Associate Pastor at the Eloise church in Winter Haven. Our family decided to join Lovell and Jenny in Winter Haven. So, I gave up my vacuum cleaner job. Dad sold the farm, the animals, the house, and the furniture. On Sunday January 14, 1952, Mom and Dad had Sunday dinner with Hildred, Marvell, Mildred, Zetta and Maxine. On Monday we ate at Ralph’s with Raymond and Grandma Addie. My un-air-conditioned 1948 model Plymouth was loaded with four of the family members (dad, mom, Mary Sue, and I) plus our clothing and household goods. On Tuesday the 16th we were off to Florida for a new life for all of us. This was the first time any of my family had been to Florida. On January 17, 1952, we arrived in Floral City where we spent 2 nights in a cabin owned by Rat Burns who lived on Crooked Creek. We went to a used furniture store and purchased a mattress and oil cooking stove because we expected to stay several weeks. However, the next day we drove to Winter Haven to visit Lovell and Jenny. They quickly convinced us to come further south to Winter Haven.
We had arrived in Florida without any idea of where any of us would live or work. Because of such a deep friendship with the Carey’s, we spent the first few days with Lovell Carey’s in-laws. Some members of the Winters family slept on the floor, but we felt welcome and happy to be with friends. Other church members accepted us as friends immediately. The warm sunshine of Florida sure felt good compared to the cold winter air of West Virginia.
As soon as we arrived in Florida, we began to attend the Eloise Church of God.
Rev. Mitchell Thomas was the pastor and Lovell was the associate Pastor. We rented a furnished house on 1st Street in Wauneta and on Feb 16, 1952, we took a picture of our family in front of the rented house. The Bass family lived one street over and their daughter Alice later married Eugene Boyd. They became the father of Tony Boyd who is now married to Marsha the daughter of my brother Jack.
The Eloise church was a very exciting and active church. They had a large screened-in outdoor kitchen and dining area. They would have fish fries, chicken fries and sell the dinners to the workers at the Snively Citrus packing house nearby. Socials and youth functions were regular events. This church had mothered a church at Rifle Range and was planning to build a church in West Winter Haven. Later they built another church at 7th Street and Avenue E SW in Winter Haven.
WITHIN A WEEK I MET MARY NELL KING THIS 15 YEAR OLD GIRL BECOME THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN MY LIFE.
First Few Years in Florida (Age 18 - 20)
I helped provide the support for my parents and I had a monthly car payment. I needed money, so I soon got a job picking fruit for Mr. McTeer the father of Hinson McTeer. I picked fruit from 5:00 a.m. in the morning daylight until dark. I only made $4.10 a day with this job. Feeling responsible for helping to support my family, I decided to find a job with better pay. The next morning my car tire was flat, so I missed the departure of the fruit picking truck. I fixed my car tire and started looking for another job. I made plans, expecting God to direct me.
My faith was fixed. I knew that faith is a major ingredient in obtaining the blessings of God. I knew his faith was vital if I was going to break out of the bonds of insufficiency. I drove until I saw an aluminum sign that had the name of Race & Race Irrigation Company on it. It was located on Highway 17 between Winter Haven and Lake Alfred. I walked in and said, “Hi! My name is Dan Winters. I am looking for a job.” George Mullins the office manager liked my driving personality. They hired me on the spot; February 15, 1952. This was a “God thing.” This job came from the Lord. I knew that I had the favor of the Lord, and that God was blessing me. My starting salary was $225.00 per month which was good for those times. George was an accountant and a real gentleman. He and I remained lifetime business friends.
Nancy and Jack had caught the Greyhound bus in Logan and rode to join us in Winter Haven. They both enrolled in Winter Haven High School where they shared some classes with Mary Nell.
Dad purchased a dilapidated house that the Veterans Administration had repossessed at 1214 seventh Street SW across from the Southside Baptist Church annex for $1 ,400. He worked very hard replacing the interior wall covering, the roof and other essentials. I assisted when I could.
These were happy times. Citrus and vegetables were plentiful. Dad made church friends with George Jackson, LC Bilbrey and others. Jackson owned the Rainbow Boat Basin on the Lake Howard-Lake May canal. Dad began working with him operating the boats and giving ski instructions to the many young men who were flight students in training at the Bartow Air Base. Dad also became a fishing guide and had free use of the several boats and motors from the boat basin. He provided plenty of fish, so fish fries with the friends and family became regular events. Florida Cypress Gardens was nearby, and Dad would take us in the boat thru the canals and we could view the ski show free of cost. The citrus and flowers were so beautiful. It was only an hour drive to the Gulf of Mexico or to the Atlantic Ocean.
Many of the relatives came from West Virginia to visit us and witness this new life we were enjoying in the land of sunshine. During first four months visitors included. Tom & Maxine, Donald & Betty, Grandma Addie & Grandpa John, Jim, Ralph & Marvell, David and Dorothy Robinson, Garland and Belva, Woodrow and Hildred and several others. Marvin Dial and his truck driving friend came for a load of watermelons and spent the night with us. All the friends and relatives were welcome and there was always room on the floor for another person to sleep although we all had to share the one bathroom.
My mother got a job at Erick’s department store downtown on 4th street NW. She was a very good salesperson, and she maintained a good rapport with the migrants and minorities. Although the Erick’s were Jew who migrated from Germany my mother talked about the Lord to everyone, and they seemed to love her. Mary Nell also worked at Erick’s on Saturday. She later worked for the Winter Haven Herald, a weekly newspaper owner by George Burr the mayor of Winter Haven. His wife Josephine managed the business and liked Mary Nell who was a DCT student at Winter Haven High School. Jack was also in DCT and worked for Poitras Electric on Central Avenue. Nancy was a DCT student and soon got an office job for Central Truck Lines which was located within walking distance of our home.
Erick’s had a big business on Saturday as the crew leaders would bring the migrant workers to Erick’s to buy their clothes. Of course, Erick gave the crew leaders some form of remuneration. On Saturday if I was off work at Race & Race I would also help out at Erick’s. I am sure Mary Nell was my primary interest in the department store. Otherwise, I could only see her a few hours each week.
At Race & Race, beginning Feb 15, 1952, I first worked in the office in the bookkeeping department. Then on July 7th I was promoted to timekeeper in the plant. I often worked overtime on Saturdays unloading pipe or boxes from railroad cars onto trucks. I only weighed about 125 pounds so it this was tough work, but I would work with the common labor crew at hard labor just to make money. My cousin Marvin Dial moved down from Logan and got a job at the same company. Also, Mary Nell’s brother Joe began to work there.
After working in the office at Race and Race only about 5 months I was promoted as “timekeeper” and “shipping clerk” in the plant. Later in February 1953 I was bonded and given the legal responsible of being custodian of the inventory during the vacation period of my superior. During one vacation period the company placed me in charge of the entire assembly plant, which had dozens of older employees. Somehow everything apparently ran smoothly with this 19 -year-old in charge. Looking back, I don’t know how I avoided conflict from guys who had worked there 15 or 20 years and obviously knew far more than I did. I often felt that Joe King resented having to report to me…but I always tried to be nice to him. On December 8, 1952, I sold my Plymouth and purchase a 1950 Ford car. In 1954 I turned the car in to the dealer as deposit on a new Oldsmobile.
Settler Business College In WH-1953
I was working full time and living at home with my parents. On first street in Winter Haven was a lovely white house with a sign in the front yard, Settler’s Business College.
I inquired and they offered a night course in Accounting so I enrolled so I could continue my education and work at the same time.
In conjunction with a University in Tampa they gave me an appitude test which revealed I was most likely to succeed at a career of managing people, marketing or selling.
I was using a practice course learning Accounting when “Uncle Sam” sent me notice that he had selected me to be a member of the United States Army.
My parents were depending upon my income to help support them, my two older brothers, Tom and Donald, were already in the Army so the founder of Settlers College suggested I apply for a deferment. He wrote a very flattering letter to his personal friend, U.S. Senator Specard Holland with a request stating he felt I would be more valuable to delay my army duty for a year until my brothers completed their term as active duty soldiers. The request was denied so in May 1953, I quit school and went to Ft. Eustis, Va.
Colleges William & Mary /UF
During my service in the army from 1954 to 1956, I embraced the opportunity to further my education through correspondence courses.I took Economics at William and Mary and Accounting at the University of Florida. These classes not only expanded my knowledge but also ignited a passion for understanding the principles of finance and economic systems that would guide me throughout my career. Balancing my military duties with academic pursuits was challenging yet fulfilling, as I sought to equip myself with skills that could contribute to my family’s future and my community, all while navigating the unique experiences that life in the army presented.
I did expect to receive an “A” in Accounting because I had all “A’s” for my work. However, I received a “C”. I called them but they said not to worry about it because they did not give above a “C” for correspondence courses.
Mary Nell and I also took a typing class on the army base.
Polk Community College
After returning from the army I enrolled in a course, “Business Law.” Later I took the realestate course from Polk as well.
American University
While I was working at Tip Top TV and Appliances the nationwide industry conducted a one week seminar for management training at the American University in Washington, D.C.
My company selected me to attend. The various classes were mostly taught by top leaders of national companies such as RCA, Westinghouse, Zenith and other highly qualified leaders in the TV and Appliance industry. I found the classes very interesting and I learned many things that have been helpful to me in management and sales. I did not know any of the students or participants.