p. 59
At this time one of the most humorous incidents in the development of this organization oc-
curred.  I really admired the way this man could weld and he often told me what a good welder he was 
despite the fact that he had but one eye.  I now refer to this as the one-eyed welder story and use it 
to illustrate the necessity of the manager of a business operation being able to do every job in the or-
gani]ation  , am conYinceG that a man mXst NnoZ more than the people he intenGs to emplo\ or Yer\ 
shortly the other man will have his job or have his business.  At the time we probably had a $3,000 or 
, inYestment in the trailer rental operation anG the start of a nice EXsiness  7hoXgh , haG seYen 
years of college and and considerable business experience, I still offered this one-eyed welder a half 
interest in the business if he would help build these trailers.  The fellow was, in his opinion, smarter 
than I was because he could weld and I couldn’t and so he turned me down.  Here was the man who 
haG Yer\ little aEilit\, as the \ears haYe proYen, anG no formal eGXcation; EXt he coXlG ZelG, anG his 
ability to use a cutting torch and weld elevated him in my eyes.  I was willing to pay him a lot more 
than he Zas Zorth  , thinN the m\ster\ in Zhich man\ professional men anG traGesmen tr\ to cloaN 
their particXlar sNills is hXmoroXs if it Zere not for the fact that it is so e[pensiYe 
When the one-eyed welder turned me down on my partnership proposition, I placed another order 
for ten frames Zith him anG set a GeliYer\ Gate  :hen , maGe the trip some tZo ZeeNs later from 
5iGgfielG, :ashington, Zhich Zas possiEl\  miles aZa\, to picN Xp the frames, he informeG me that 
he had not been able to get at the job because he was welding a trailer for another party.  The night 
before I had spent at my parents’ home and had been reading the wants ads and noticed a welding 
machine advertised with rod and all for $100.00 at a small town near there.  When he told me I would 
have to wait another 10 days, I had this welding machine in mind and decided right then that this 
situation shouldn’t go on.  I told him to forget about building the trailer frames because I didn’t feel 
it Zas profitaEle for me to GriYe  miles MXst to picN Xp these frames  0\ father Zas Zith me at the 
time, anG as , e[plaineG he Zas neYer a man to hesitate to tr\ something neZ, so Zhen Ze looNeG at 
the ZelGing machine, , EoXght it anG haXleG it to 5iGgefielG, :ashington
A History of U-Haul (1945 - 1954)

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