AMERICAN DREAM IN NORTH COUNTY?

By Steve Stranghoener

In today’s economy, the American Dream seems to have gone up in smoke.  With high unemployment, stratospheric gasoline prices, home values in the tank and so many people struggling just to make ends meet, the dream seems to have turned sour.  But, I suspect, like most of you, I’m an optimist and a patriot.  Can I lift your spirits with clichés like, never say die, don’t give up the ship or it’s always darkest before the dawn? No, well how about an inspiring rags to riches story?  Nah you say, those things only happen once in a lifetime in places like Hollywood or the Big Apple?  C’mon, lift your chin up because this breath of fresh air comes from right here in your own neck of the woods.  How about a Horatio Alger story from right here in North County.  Here we go … damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead!

Jim Crane, Steve Stranghoener & Jim Pleimann, in the late 1970's.

Back in the 1970s, there was a kid named Jimmy Crane who lived in North County and had dreams of being a major league baseball player.  It may have been a little far-fetched but the pitcher from Lutheran North High School had a pretty good arm; good enough to get him into Central Missouri State.  As he plied his trade on the mound, Jimbo had enough talent to attract some major league scouts.  Then the bottom fell out when he blew out his elbow.  From there, Crane-o led a typical NoCo life.  It was so average that he spent a lot of time hanging out with bums like me playing touch football, wiffle ball and drinking beer.  The dream seemed laid to rest by the time Jim was in his late twenties, divorced and stuck in a dead end job without two nickels to rub together.  But he had something special.  He never gave up the dream.  And he buoyed his hopes with a willingness to work hard and take risks that the average Joe might never chance.  He figured, what do I have to lose?

Some thirty years ago, young Crane-o picked up stakes, moved to Houston, borrowed the then enormous sum of ten thousand dollars and started his own business on a hope and a prayer.  It wasn’t much of business.  All he really had was a small apartment with a phone and one of those new-fangled personal computers.  Oh, there was something else.  He had a dream and a burning desire to succeed.  Crane’s angle was you didn’t need millions of dollars in trucks and airplanes to be a freight forwarder.  All you had to do was sell people on the fact that you could make things happen and arrange to get their goods from point a to point b by the allotted time.  A funny thing happened.  Crane-o never gave up on the dream and kept plugging away and growing the business based on his simple plan.  Do you know what?  Persistence paid off and that tiny, little business grew into Eagle Global Logistics with some nine thousand employees and offices in a dozen countries before he sold it for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Jim Crane introduced as the
owner of the Houston Astros.

Is that all there is?  Crane-o made a bunch of money and then cashed in his chips?  No, this kid from North County didn’t stop there.  What’s the one thing that could possibly be better than playing major league baseball?  How about buying your own team?  Yep, that’s right!  Our own little Jimmy Crane from North County is the guy who bought the Houston Astros a few months back.  Rocky Balboa is alive and well in America and it can happen anywhere, even right here in North County.  So this one goes out to all of you young guys and gals around here who may be stuck in a ditch wondering if things will ever turn around and get better again.  I say yes, of course they will.  And it will be because of young dreamers like you who work hard, take chances and don’t let anything get them down.

Hey, there’s one more thing.  Even old guys like me still have dreams.  That’s why I’m trying to build a second career as a writer.  Please go to amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com or westbowpress.com and check out my books: Murder By Chance, The Last Prophet, Asunder: The Tale of the Renaissance Killer and Tracts In Time.  Or better yet, come out to Krieger’s in Chesterfield (1684 Clarkson) this Wednesday, April 25^th from 3:00 to 6:00 pm and meet me.  I’d be happy to sign your book and will have copies for sale if you haven’t picked one up yet.  I’ll be appearing with Kevin Slaten who will be broadcasting his King’s Court show live from Krieger’s.  Hope to see you there!