Gary Crouse and Amy Crouse

00:03 My name is Amy Crouse. I am 34 years old. Today is February 16th 2016. We are in our at storycorps Atlanta and I am here with my father Gary Crouse.

00:21 Hello, my name is Gary Crouse. My age is 68 and today is February 16th, 2016. And I'm also at storycorps at the Historical Society with my lovely daughter Amy.

00:36 So I heard about storycorps and you know, I just whenever you tell me your story about growing up. I know it's so different than how we've grown up. And so I really thought it would be beneficial to have you tell it and record it so that we can always hold on to it and especially given this time of my life when I'm sort of following in your footsteps of being an entrepreneur and launching my own business. I just really wanted to hear from you and just hear you know, what your what you've learned and what what lessons you hope to you know to teach me and just get in a place that we would have forever and ever and ever so, okay. So let's start with your childhood to tell me what your childhood was like

01:24 I have a tendency to split my childhood into kind of two segments.

01:30 Before my dad died after my dad died because they were very very different. My father died. When I was young he died when I was nine years old and up until that time. My dad was a frustrated farmer. So we had we had lived on a semi far we be raised animals. We had chickens cows.

01:53 Pig cetera and I was responsible for doing a lot of you know chores and stuff. Dad was very authoritarian. He was work work work and toward that in I didn't get to participate in a lot of activities that other children did like the Little League baseball and stuff like that until after he passed away. And so I kind of make that as a divided in in to my childhood is it the earlier age was with my father and I know there's a couple of questions regarding that in itself is a seminal figure obviously in my life, but I see my father was very authoritarian in a little bit distant.

02:41 And so any day after he after he died, that's when I began to be able to do things, but maybe I considered ordinary kits with do in and less of the chores and things like that. But I mean I had a but I consider a happy childhood. We were not very we were not very certainly a fluid. I would probably describe our station in life is Blue Collar, you know, and in the in that area lived on the what I considered the south side of the textile mill town and just had a normal childhood growing up and went to public schools and I think my my life kind of started to take off when I went to college. That was the first person in my immediate family to have had the opportunity to go to college. So that was kind of like cutting the lights on all the sudden. It's a big world.

03:41 World, so that's why I've always valued education and probably why you felt some of the emphasis that I put on to evolve you thought that a young age. Yes, I would suspect nothing mom and I both valued at very highly and and how we were both for you and Michelle wanted a very good education. It was just so important to me because I'm coming from a small kind of semi rule background to a college all of a sudden it just it just kind of put me in the middle different socioeconomic station in slice of pie. So to speak that's definitely something I like the most thankful for that. You've given me because

04:34 Like just especially with the work now, we're doing in Haiti stuff, you know, that's so important to us and I think like that sort of what launched our business is like Liz and I we looked at for a wet set us apart in the world and how we've been able to have success in it's definitely through education. So for that I'm forever thankful for and it's like it it's the key to life. Absolutely as a said. That's that was a huge turning point in my life just it's not so much. What you learned college is not the fax. It's the experience of college in and just opened you up to do a lot of Avenues in life. And that's

05:17 I mean, that's why I think I moved on when most a lot of my family stayed in North Carolina didn't move they were kind of there. I kind of ventured out so to speak and went on.

05:30 Rightly or wrongly so you talked about how when your father died you got to be a little boy, but it wasn't there. Also a lot of responsibility that was put on you at that point as well.

05:43 I don't know. I think there was more responsibility probably put on he certainly my mother all of a sudden she had to become a provider for other than being am just a mom stay at home. Mom. My dad hasn't ran his own business. And so she had to be a provider and then for my sister my sister Barbara is older than I am by like 9 or 10 years. She was always say she was before World War II and I was after so there's this little event called World War II that got a got in the way there by the family structure and

06:19 And so I think she had to assume a lot of responsibility of taking care of me because my mom and neither my parents actually a graduate from high school. I mean that they were not not intelligent. They just were not as educated. They didn't have the educational opportunities. So Mom went to work in the textile mill. That's what she could do. That's how she managed to make a living. So she went to work in a textile mill working 2nd or 3rd Shift and saw a lot of times Barbara will have to look after me and that's you know, that's not so I would say more responsibility was probably put on Barbara and some regards, you know enough said that

07:06 When we were smaller, I would almost few Her Like Us almost like a second mother and it's we've grown older we become very good friends, but for a while it was it was tough from her birthday in Port, you know, it was a little kid. Do you know, you know, you know a little later nine year old kid and if she was a homeless out of high school and she was all of a sudden had to worry about me and I'm there. So if we bumped heads there, but then as We Grew Older I grew to respect. What a fine person she is. She is she really is and she's always cares about other people and everything.

07:47 I grew up in North Carolina. I was boarding Greensboro North Carolina. And that's in the middle of the state. It's in the Piedmont section and really stayed there until I went to school at NC State University and after NC State I was in the military and then made my way down to Atlanta, Georgia.

08:10 What sort of business is your dad on air conditioning in and basically put in air-conditioning systems and heating systems. He was he was extremely mechanical a gene that I did not hit her. I did not got done unfortunately did not come down but he he really was extra. He should have been an engineer. He should have been and he he he was that good at it. He could fix anything and Mechanicals just extremely bright and in that regard and had his own business if he ran his own business to it happened and what branch of the military was he when he was in the Army in the Army and

08:53 Oh, yeah, it's in the Army in Norfolk. 43 44 45 puzzle fortnite 45 maybe at the end and he went over and fought in World War II, correct? When he was he was overseas. He was in the European theater was actually with a Patton's third Army. I wonder how they how they communicated back then I guess you didn't speak for like while he was away. Grandma couldn't speak with him letters letters. That's a call when I was young seeing letters that Dad and Mom had exchanged in and also from all of my uncles all of my uncles served in the military than that. I knew in the Marine Corps of the Navy

09:43 Army Air Force I had one on Columbus Charlie who went ashore date that you went to last year and I went to his birthday and you know, there's a gentleman, who is he I mean is a 19 year old kid and now 1944 when he went ashore on D-Day. Yeah, they did a little different from the generation. We was going about it a little bit but any mention that he was very strict and supposed to work six days out of the week and Sunday was a day of rest, but I mean you weren't you we had chores to do and I mean, I would come home and there would we were expected to do chores where there was feed the chick.

10:43 The cows the pig milk the cows I milk cows and I did all of that when I was young and so we did that and that was he was very much.

10:55 That way and I would say he was probably a little bit distant and in and I thought I'd want to say authoritarian this that's why when you and Michelle were born. I wanted to be more part of your life. If I possibly could you know and and be more involved and then let you know that I loved you and cared about you. I know he did not think certainly that generation and I would say I fall into this as well. We we I think he saw the role as being a provider and that certainly a tremendous part of being a father or a mother but I think that was, you know his view of being a father

11:43 And not so much I getting to know you are like if not be at doing I mean, I was always envious because some of the guys but I started playing sports and they had fathers and they would come and they would be you know, they come to sporting events and things like that. When I started playing sports that was that was neat. I mean because that's not something I ever got to do with my Dad. We didn't really do any

12:07 Any I know what an old enough probably to to be involved with any hobbies or anything like that with him then he lives away. He did. He he was a very good Horseman he if he loved necessary love being outside loved animals and everything and he was riding a horse and the horse threw him off and are stopped in and Bailey broke his leg and that was in her early fifties and he went to the hot he went to the VA hospital in the VA hospital did not do a good job that you miss set his leg. So after a few weeks there is a disease called gangrene got in there and it was his leg or his life enough. So that's not much of a decision. So he had they had to amputate his leg.

13:00 And I think that really affected his life the last few years. I mean, I think it impacted him a lot of us people stuff to have a wooden leg and try to run a business and do all of that. And then how did he what did he pass away from a heart attack? So it's just one day. I feel like you've told me this story where you're at school. Maybe I was at school yelled school and

13:27 Dad knew they would never take me out of school. I mean they did send you something you didn't do you at school? And so the guy that work with that you guys have one of us guys at work with him staying was a role. They they called me out of class. And I said and you need to go with this guy. That was Earl and I don't want they're not and I knew something was wrong immediately. I knew something was really wrong. And I thought it was first thing I thought of my mom I said to Mama came and he said yeah Mom's. Okay. Sonny said your father's. And and that's it. I mean that was you know, I came home and in fact, he was still at home.

14:08 Oh, really? Yeah, he was actually lying in bed. I mean the head and cover it up. And I remember we're going in there and that's why I said that was you had the saddest day that was probably sad traumatic day that was cuz I've never had the

14:26 Never had to come to handle anything like that come to grips with it that loss and that was that was very traumatic. That's a lot for a nine-year-old to hand off you.

14:44 I don't know. I think I was just so shocked, you know, and

14:52 I'm just unsure of the whole world at that point. I remember driving home and playing with one thing on the seat if it's a holding the seat and I can't I don't know why that should should you should play in my mind, but that I remember doing that all the way back and then with all the people that came in all of our family. We love everyone live pretty close together. All of Dad's sisters and brothers live in fairly close proximity. So and they were close family. I mean, they really were ever that we get together usually for all holidays and they would be down at my grandmother's house and we live literally right beside my grandmother at that time. We live right beside them.

15:36 So I mean everybody was there that day, you know and just a lot of hurting sadness and you just under uncertainty, you know, all of a sudden, you know, your kidneys think everything in life goes along and then all the sudden it's just like the rugs jerked out for Monday as like all the sudden you're not you're not certain of Life be taken away from me. Yeah, who is Grandma like on that Day Basket Case? She was totally totally totally totally a basket-case. Do you feel like she closed off after that?

16:15 Part of her desk job. She never remarried.

16:21 Don't even think she I'm not even sure she even dated. I think she focus her whole life at that point.

16:30 On me because my sister was she was getting ready to go graduate from high school and the next year. She got married.

16:40 So she was kind of off on the wrong and then it was just me and I think in many regards mom focused her whole life on me and I may not know if there's a lot of jokes in the family movie thing, but I think that's I think that's a big reason for it. I just part of it, you know, she had to support me and we had to work we just all so I think all of her energy love and time and everything focused on me, it's amazing when you hear someone story. It all makes sense. Now. You can see how you can see the retrospect why why that happened? You know it was

17:22 We are probably bothan a Lifeline for each other. Totally United. She probably wanted to do everything to not lose you right? So what was what was your relationship like with her before your father passed away? And your dad's name is Dalton, right? Okay, and your mom was Virginia Russell wrestle. What was your relationship like with her before and after he passed away?

18:01 Well, you know mom always get them. She was always there if she's a mom. She cooked, you know, just somebody that you know.

18:12 Guy that never really tried too hard to put it in words. I always thought I was just think of her as his love and I know how much I know how hard she worked and everything. So I've always respected what she did for me when I was young, you know of I think a lot of women or men would have thought about themselves at that stage and I think quite frankly she just pretty much focused on providing for me and doing that and

18:43 I didn't get to know her as a friend until I was older really older, you know, probably forties and fifties and that made them as much my problem is yours and that's why I avoid I've tried to connect more with with both you and Michelle and it's as always important for me to do that because I felt I didn't do that.

19:10 When I was younger, and I don't think it was intentionally just kind of evolved that way and

19:21 So it was a loving relationship no question. We love each other, but I don't think it was it was demonstrably B&O shown as much as it should have been on both parts.

19:38 Was there anyone who came into your life is like a father figure?

19:42 Weather is like the one question says who is one of the more influential people in and I put down there a guy named Earl Strickland and this happened when I was about 13 or 14, I think and that I think I was like, you know as a youngster, I didn't really have a role model at that time. I mean I had Uncle I had uncles that were around in but they didn't that would have been kind of father but Earl was a very good athlete he was probably five or six years older than I was and he was in the neighborhood and I mean he was an All-State like in football and basketball. He's very he's a very good athlete.

20:27 And he just kind of took me under his wing and I was like, he's like my more like my big brother if you were my big brother and so he started teaching me how to play ball and got me interested and I think that was a very important because there was a lot of kids are your bodyguards from my neighborhood. They didn't turn out so well and they, you know, there's that's and that's an important. Of your life and you need something and I think getting into Athletics was very important from

20:59 On a number of levels. First of all, it was it made me feel good that I could do after a while. I was started because I wasn't great but I was pretty good. I was a pretty good high school athlete so I was always showing and everything and so that gave me that made me feel good. I could do something so though, I like that basketball and and I play football until hurt my knee my dad in middle school and that's a nice top because I kept having to have my knee drained, you know the drain and then I decided to focus on on basketball and I played that has the kids and the relative that yeah for that for that era.

21:52 And Amanda football apply quarterback and maybe that's why I love to watch football as much as I do and then and then certainly basketball and I and I like baseball and I am a mean when we were growing up. It wasn't an air of specialization. I mean when it was fall you play football when it was Winter you play basketball and you know, you just kept going from sport to sport to sport pretty much. This is what most of the guys that you settled in though, maybe one or two, but it's not like it is today free for the app. Where is Young athletes male and females tend to specialize but Athletics is always been part of me is as they just his we'll see if the story continues to unfold about your time with Nike.

22:52 Saying but you didn't wear your Runner. What did you run in high school or college? We had to run cross-country to get in shape for basketball and I really didn't like it that much but we had to I mean that that wasn't it wasn't it wasn't a choice if you didn't run you didn't play so I can't say that. I really enjoyed it and I didn't I didn't go in the track afterwards. I just ran because I had to do that so I can start and play basketball. That's interesting.

23:30 So what was the happiest moment of your life that I was wondering? I forgot that is not a trick question. No, no. No, I was I was thinking a while. I was going to put like the happiest memory for my childhood. I guess that would be the time I went to my Uncle Joe. We went to New York. I was 14 years old and I was really into sports and Uncle Joe and they lived in New Jersey and so we went to see him first of all going from Greensboro, North Carolina. I'd never seen anything like New York City in my life. I mean that that was incredible and then I'll bet self. But Uncle Joe took me to Yankee Stadium to watch the New York Yankees and I mean, I mean I can even name.

24:30 Starting lineup for the Yankees to this day. Oh my goodness. Mascara play first Bobby Richardson was on second base the entire lineup Rodger Maris and Mickey Mantle where the heaven is 1961 when they were having the Home Run Race when Rodger Maris first broke Babe Ruth's record. That's Sony and you know, I just I was a kid my eyes had to be as big as a saucer. I never seen anything.

25:03 Anything like Yankee Stadium. I thought I died and gone to heaven. So that was that was probably my most favorite memory if they had to isolate one in the nuts for my childhood. It was that and that's why Uncle Joe always hold a special place in my heart and then you would take us to baseball games. That was such a big part of our childhood has games. They weren't his the Yankees the Braves 1990s right Sports was just really important to me. It's along the lines of Education when done properly

25:50 You learn you learn a lot of life's lessons on you not going to win all the time. And you know, and there's usually some amount of feedback is too. Well if I practice and do this I get better. I mean, I think there's a lot of good practices. I think sometimes as Society we we kind of warped it too much but I think Sports on and it kept me out of bed stuff, right? I didn't smoke and drink and do things that a lot of kids dead. And so for me, it was a very positive feedback and something I enjoyed so I was obviously carried through to both you and Michelle and she won't be dancers on people.

26:44 And so we touched on some sad moments, but what would you say was the saddest moment? I think the saddest saddest moment. What's my dad's death? And I thought about mom's death years later but a she had a long long for a wife. And then with the way, you know, when she was in hospice, I guess I didn't see it as much sad because she was in I saw how how much pain what she's going through. It was almost a relief is more than that. I guess I had them or more time to deal with the sadness of my dad was just the the abruptness and everything and then what happened? So I think that has to be the saddest. Yeah and only about a month later my grandfather died. So really his father or his father abused they live right? Beside us. I mean in 6 weeks. I lost my grandfather and my father and then the grandmother was still

27:44 5 correct and then how much longer will she allow for she was alive and for pretty good while I mean because she was never met her know. She she passed away probably. Yeah, maybe right after Mom and I got married. So yeah, I don't think you ever met Grandma Crouse and where was your mom's parents where where they live they live in Greensboro mom's parents were from Club of my father's parents and my mother's parents were from the North Carolina area. My mother's parents my grandpa my grandfather and my mom said was Brussels and he was from and you know, and and and I would really highly suspect somewhere that Mark.

28:44 Russell and I are distantly related really one of my cousins on my mother's side get some tracing of the lineage and and he was born from about in Kannapolis in that area down in Concord, North Carolina for Marcus from so I would have to believe that somewhere far removed. We are we are related it something that's crazy. I mean, I never knew that and then my mother will my mother's real mother passed away when she was young. She was only about seven or eight months old and then the grandmother that you may remember Grandma Russell that she was really Mom stepmother, but I know you're that she loved me a fine lady wonderful lady, but she was actually mom stepmom child or blood blood mother.

29:46 Okay, what so

29:49 I guess yeah, it means I touch on some of these but who has been the kindest to you and your life but that was one of the questions I really had to think long and hard almost thinking about kindness of influence and things like that.

30:09 And I came up with I think my seventh grade homeroom teacher. She was just she just I think took a liking to me, you know, you know how you know something teachers like you and some teachers you don't hit it off with whatever and there was a program when I was in the seventh grade getting ready to go into the 89th, but it's kind of like AP classes basically skip the 8th grade me and you went into algebra and you went into size another words. It was a fast track program, and I know that she really went to bat for me to get me in that program. And so I did that so I don't know that was probably one of the questions I had the hardest time.

31:00 And coming up with a good answer.

31:03 Wow, so

31:07 I want to know when did when did you when did you first fall in love in your life?

31:16 I didn't give you this question. So y'all just pop question popcorn. I like a middle school and high school. Do you remember it brushes love or crush it something, you know her first crash. When did you have your first like the person you remember? Okay, that would have probably been in in junior high school middle school.

31:44 Inept

31:47 I talk too much at the gym part 2.

31:55 It's not a lot. We had 21 Questions yesterday young girl. Connie Burgess. Very cute. Dark haired like your mom dark-haired guys. What's funny is last week. I had lunch with my high school to my my school buddies that say that he was down there and then they were talkin then I guess other and what I'm going to say more High School reunions coming up this summer and they were talking and he said yeah and I can one got the ball went on the Facebook page and he said they said in memory and and and she passed away.

32:39 Yeah, that's like oh man, that's crazy. So, okay. Well since we're a little short on time, I want to talk a little bit about just some of the important lessons you've learned in life and what I do want to hit on what your proudest of okay easily. The proudest thing is you and Michelle and I mean and I mean that I mean,

33:14 Money and things like that stuff the stuff what meat, what was I think about?

33:22 Going to sleep waking up is how much you mean to me? Michelle means to me. That's that that's the important things. I mean, so that's that's the most important things to learn lessons I've learned is when I was younger. I thought money could solve all my problems for my background. I'll be happy and it's so wrong. It's so wrong. It's it's it frees you up and gives you a gives you flexibility gives you opportunities, but it doesn't make you happy. It really doesn't hit it is just stuff those those those that's a lesson learned but being proud as you and then the companies I've built I'm real proud of that. I'm real proud of what I did was not given what I've done with other businesses. I like that. I'm very proud of that. I'm a work oriented person, right?

34:22 I mean insane cuz you were my you were younger than I was actually 28 or so years old and you are like their first one of their first day of school where we were the first set of national sales people. They had a manufacturer's rep organization.

34:47 Nike when I started getting you got to put it in perspective there Wells go on their way to doing 20 billion dollars this year.

34:56 When I started that the year before they had done 50 million dollars 59fifty millions of those a pronoun 400 * 1976 I started and they had their fiscal year ending was jujun of of 76. So they just finished doing 50 million and they said they've been in business at that point as Nike only about three or four years. It was really really I mean there was I mean, I know I know if you don't mind I knew and then I knew a lot of guys in that article I was showing yeah, I knew all I know all of this guy's a new one and Nike Grew From 50 million.

35:39 21 Bayon in the ten years. I was there it was it was a rocket ride. It really was it was fun. It was crazy. And it was fun. What would you like a tribute to success to they were in the right place at the right time? I mean that's a lot of Life piss is truly being in the right place at the right time and then Phil Knight what he did. I mean, he he he managed to capture a lot of things and I wanted to be the Phil Knight story or Nike story. But that mean it what they did they got there is a societal change at that time people went from being less formal took to the tube wearing blue jeans and t-shirts and sneakers when I was growing up. We didn't wear blue jeans for sneakers. I did wear blue jeans. I didn't like it because that that was your poor if you were blue cheats when I was young he didn't want to wear blue jeans.

36:39 Penny loafers you wanted to wear those kinds of things. You did not want to wear blue jeans because that meant you are not your poor isn't that crazy? Just have her and years later it now. It's like it can be a status symbol. Like what type of jeans Levi's 501 through the big was so we only have 5 minutes left. So I have two other questions, but I really want to get to this question if you're so your grandchildren, which hopefully you'll have some day soon like for your grandchildren your great-great-grandchildren, what would you want them to know like what piece of wisdom would you want to impart?

37:23 And today I died. I thought that was a good question and one actually made some notes about that.

37:41 I would want them to realize.

37:46 The important things in life are not something you can put down in Uno and a checkbook or something like that. It's your family relationships. It's your face. It's things like that and that's what I would hope they would focus on and you know for you. I want you and have a long healthy life and I want you to follow whatever path God has for you and I think that's what I admire about you so much and I mean this to seeing you grow has been that's what I mean. This is this is this means more to me than anything that's

38:29 I just had the fortune to do in my life and someday I hope you're blessed with the family. And I know you will be because I just you've got a wonderful heart and I love you. Thank you. You're so sweet. Thank you. I would have liked to have my mother tell me something like that are not managed to say that for my mother. I know we did but he just never we just never got around saying we need to do that because we just don't know ya know. It's so true. And I feel the same and you're like my relationship with you is just so special to me and I was telling Katie about it last night and she was asking about just where we always close and and you know, she knows a lot of my story which was a lot of there are a lot of crazy times and so I was like, that's one area where I know God.

39:29 Like he's done so much because we have such a special relationship and I was like, oh, I love my dad like they're my dad means everything to me, you know, and you are a great father and you gave me so much and just think about like where I'm at now is like all because I just hearing you talk about educational that like that is why I'm doing what I'm doing it so need and you gave me a childhood that

39:54 A lot of kids don't get you know, and I'm very aware of that. And so I'm so thankful for that in there. I think I think Kudos have to be given to Mom's. I think she was a great mom when you got girls were young really do she and she she's helped me in that regard to cement the family family is very, I mean, that's the one thing.

40:19 That was that's always there is.

40:22 How important you and Michelle are in in in the family. That's it throughout everything. That is that's the important that's important and

40:37 That's what I hope my grandchildren grasp. I hope that you said I hope

40:42 Family structure still around them and

40:47 Had Sunny well near great man. You really are dad. You're so special and your stories so special and it just so I'm just so glad we could record it and I'll have it forever to listen to and I'll just leave this is a wonderful idea. I mean your heart the way you do things really touch me like this because

41:11 I don't know where it's at. But we had actually had your mom sat down and do a video nothing this way. We just did it herself a video tape with her grandmother and she found out her grandmother had an arranged marriage. I mean when they came over they were Italians and

41:33 About Love, Ya Allah we didn't so this is important to do this kind of thing. I really yes and I think that's good. I think you think you should do it with Mom or whomever. Yeah, it's Sony. I know we could sit here all day. We could I mean honest to God did not know that that time is past. I thought we will have to do another long-winded and I assumed it was really good, but I want to thank you and I mean that I love you and I'm just proud I mean

42:12 I think about you so much and how your license folding and I'm just very proud of you as a person than what you be coming for your going dad. I love you. I love you. Thanks for coming up today. I wouldn't miss it. I'm glad you got here. All right.