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Several years ago I made a trip to Alpena, Michigan to meet
and speak with Besser Company. They make
machines and equipment to mass-produce concrete products, such as masonry
blocks. They are global leaders in the industry.
I met with an engineer, and tried briefly to explain my
ideas. He interrupted me, and brought in
the Vice President. I began to try to
explain my ideas to the Vice President, but he also cut me short.
“Can you give our President a ride to Ann Arbor tomorrow?”
I was taken aback.
Isn’t one of the Lear jets available? I stupidly wondered.
“Sure!” I said, “I’d
be happy to.”
I picked up Mr. James Park at his house, having spent the
previous 24 hours cleaning my Honda Civic as best I could. We began our 4 hour drive, and spoke. It was the very point of the whole thing. He is an easy man to talk to.
I described how I thought this masonry system could be used, in
various applications. I went through one
application after another. “What else
you got?” he kept asking.
I didn’t want to seem silly or crazy, or goofy; I’m the guy proposing
triangular block already. But I said it
anyway.
“Lunar blocks. Like
on the moon. The cost of sending
materials from earth is too great, we should use what’s there, and with robots,
this block system would…”
He interrupted by laughing.
He laughed heartily and deeply.
Uh-oh, I thought: I’ve gone too
far.
He then explained his laughter.
Every year Besser would create a special limited edition
hardbound leather book of general interest, and would send this book to their
very valued customers, as a sign of appreciation. One year the subject of the book was
Rocketry. One particular customer of
Besser happened to be friends with –none other than- Werner Von Braun, the
father of modern rocketry.
Werner Von Braun was so taken with Besser’s book on Rocketry
that he sent them a letter, in which he assured them that when man built on the
moon, they would do so in something like the masonry manner which I had just
suggested, and that it would be done on Besser equipment.
We both had a good laugh in my Honda Civic, with Werner Von
Braun grinning in the back seat as we pulled into Ann Arbor.
