Herman Dettlinger

Several weeks ago, January 27th, a good friend of mine, Herman Dettlinger, passed away.  I was a pall bearer at his funeral.  I went to work at Coca-Cola right out of High School, and Herman was my boss.  I was 18 years old.  So, I've been friends with Herman close to 50 years.  I've played poker with him for 30 years, regularly the last 20 years.  At Coca-Cola, he was the Manager of the Cooler Department.  The Cooler Department was responsible for installing and maintaining all the Coca-Cola vending and fountain machines in the Louisville Area.  This area ranged from Seymour, Ind. to the north, Carrollton, KY to the East, English, IN to the west and Shepherdsville, KY to the south.  I just wanted you to know, not just Louisville.  The area was pretty large.  

As Manager, he was responsible for ordering new equipment, parts, tools, etc. for the Department, and this budget was several hundred thousand dollars a year.  So, he would deal with many Salesmen and the orders he placed were worth a lot of money.  But, Herman was the kind of guy who refused to take anything from anybody.  No incentives or kick-backs.  When a salesman took him to lunch, Herman bought.  He didn't want to owe anything to anyone he had dealings with.  This was the way he operated.  If you got his business, it was because you had the best price or the best merchandise.  Period.  He never, ever, received anything without paying for it.

Why do I write this now, 4 weeks after he died?  Yesterday, in the mail, I received a check for $100 from Diana, his daughter.  Herman bequeathed $100 to each of his pall bearers in his funeral.  Herman Dettlinger.  He wouldn't even let you carry him to his grave as a favor.  He had to pay you. I'll miss him.