WHAT I LEARNED FROM A "NIT-PICKING FUSS-POT"

October 3, 2007 Blog

H3 was laid to rest yesterday after 82 productive years.

Harold H. Hofmann, called H3 by friends, came to Elmer as a sailor boy in 1946. He had a blind date with the daughter of the local pharmacist and that led to engagement, marriage and making Elmer his home.

H3 literally changed the face of Elmer, New Jersey.

If you never heard of Elmer, you haven't missed much. A century ago, Elmer boasted a dozen factories, a busy railroad station and the largest potato market in the East. Today, Elmer is a sleepy little town of 1,200 people and if you blink your eyes while passing through, you could miss it entirely.

Elmer has a few business establishments, including four pizzerias, but its modern hospital and medical clinics are well known throughout South Jersey.

H3 had much to do with this development.

 I won't go into detail on all of H3's accomplishments, but will relate just one incident that changed the way I look at life.

My father was a builder and I was his youngest carpenter. Back in the mid 50's, the Baptist Church was doing renovations in the basement. My father and I were of course there to help. So was H3.

I was stapling electric wires onto studs for outlets and switches. H3 walked by and stopped. He said, "That wire has a twist in it."

My mind was saying, "Are you some kind of nit-picking fuss-pot?"

My mouth said, "It doesn't matter. This wall will be covered with plasterboard."

H3 asked, "How much more time would it take to run that same wire without the twist?"

"Perhaps a second longer," I replied.

H3 said, "Think about it! Some day someone who rips this wall out will exclaim, "Look how neat they did this wiring!"

"And it only took you a second longer."

I determined to apply H3's philosophy in all that I did for the next half century and will continue to do so. 

I am not telling you to do the same. I don't want you to think I am some kind of nit-picking fuss-pot.