Dee Driscoll

I found out yesterday that I lost a friend of mine last June. Her name was Dee Driscoll. She was a supervisor of mine, when I worked at Sanger-Harris in Fort Worth. The department store doesn't exist anymore. It became Foley's and then Macy's. Sanger-Harris was a very cool store. It was a shade lower than Neiman-Marcus but was better than Dillard's. We had famous people make personal appearances there, such as James Beard, George Hamilton, Hope Olson, and more. We had piano music or a chamber orchestra play on weekends. I met Pierre Cardin there. I also met my girlfriend Kare there. We had fun working there, and I would work on my day off for free, because it was that much fun. Dee made it fun. She knew her business, but she also knew to make her people happy, because happy workers are good workers. In fact, after I graduated from seminary, I stayed an extra year to work in that happy place. When I left that store to move back to SC, it was a sad day. I had to say goodbye to my friends and to my love. I stayed in touch with Kare for a few months, but we drifted apart. As for Dee, we sent Christmas cards to one another for years. It has been almost 30 years since I left Fort Worth, but I always kept up with Dee and her husband Gene. I didn't send many Christmas cards this year, but I dutifully sent one to Dee. I got a letter from Gene yesterday to tell me that Dee passed away from a fast-moving cancer in June. I wish I had known it at the time, even though there was nothing I could have done except to say goodbye. She was a motivating force in my early business life. She was very supportive of me, and encouraged me to do better. I have had several supervisors, but Dee was the one who all should be measured by. She knew her job, and loved her people. When I became a supervisor with Belk, I managed like she had. Care about your people and treat them well. Thank you, Dee, for making my life happier. I'll miss you, but your spirit will live on in all who knew you.