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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


Letter to the Editor

“No, sir ... I did not take that watch.”
by: Aaron S. Lee
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You see, long before cable television, microwave ovens and electric-powered automobiles ... people lived simpler lives filled with even simpler conveniences. One of those simpler conveniences was the icebox.

Similar to the modern refrigerators that most of us are familiar with, iceboxes were not electric refrigeration units, but standard metal boxes that used blocks of frozen water to keep the appliance cold, thus preserving perishable food during a time when no meal was taken for granted.

These blocks of ice would be replaced almost daily with pieces weighing 25, 37 or 50 pounds – depending on what the customer could afford. A 37-pound block of ice – which was most common – would cost around a nickel.

One summer’s day in Baton Rouge, back before World War II, a young boy had just finished making his daily run delivering ice for the United Ice Company when the owner called him into his office. That morning, a customer had called the owner to complain that the young delivery boy had taken a watch from inside the house while delivering ice into the kitchen.

Usually the young boy would deliver his ice onto the front porch or doorstep, but this time the lady of the house requested that he come inside and place the ice inside the box.

The problem went much deeper than an accusation of stealing a watch. You see, the lady was white ... the young boy was not.

The owner talked with the young boy about the importance of honesty and told him that he had always been a good worker and a good kid. He told the young boy that he had been working around there too long delivering ice to do something like that. He said, “If you want a watch, I’ll buy you a watch. I just don’t want you to take a watch.”

The owner added that he really didn’t believe that the young boy had actually taken the watch. Then the owner asked the young boy to be honest and tell him whether or not he had stolen the timepiece. He told the young boy that he would believe him and that the company was going to replace the stolen item either way.

The young boy looked at the owner with tearful eyes and said, “No, sir ... I did not take that watch.”

So, the owner contacted the lady and replaced the watch ... meanwhile, the lady’s husband, who had left earlier that morning on a business trip, returned to the commotion and clarified that he had gotten up before his wife and had taken the watch to be fixed.

The young boy had always been an honest kid who gave an honest day’s work. Even during tension-filled times, he withstood adversity and was unwavering. His track record for being compassionate and truthful paid off during accusations of wrongdoing.

The young boy is an example of what we all should be. The young boy is a champion of decency and courage. The young boy is the winningest college football coach of all time. The young boy is Eddie Robinson.





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