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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1984)
Page 4/The Battalion/Friday, October 19, 1984 e/> Homemade Pies & Rolls • Chicken Fried Steak • Steaks • Fish • BBQ Open Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m Closed Mondays 846-1010 2V2 miles W. ofC.S. on Hwy 60 Chicken & Dumplings on Wednesdays T SI IVORS CASUALS 25% OFF Located at Northgate 101 Lodge Street Behind Kay & Co. Jewelers 846-8566 New Superstuffed Potatoes! Olsen (continued from page 1) rig pulled himself out of the lineup. Gehrig died two years later of a rare form of polio. Olsen gave professional baseball four years. After that he quit to enter business. He and a former professor established Gearench Manufactor ing Co. in 1927. For the past 30 years, Gearench has been the leading manufacturer for tools used in the oil, chemical, mining, plastic and atomic indus tries. “No one has been luckier or had more fun than 1 have,” he said. Gearench made Olsen a million aire and with those millions, Olsen has given and given. “It’s no use being the richest S.O.B. in the graveyard,” Olsen said. “We do it because we love to do it.” Every year, Olsen foots the bill to host former baseball players at the Hall of Fame induction and for seve ral years, Olsen provided World Se ries and All-Star tickets for Gehrig’s widow. “We surely have enjoyed doing it,” he said. Over the years, Olsen has pur chased more than 15,000 series tick ets— 13,000 of those he has given to friends, associates and even strang ers. “I have had people leave England in the morning so they could be my guests later that day at the series,” Olsen said. During a series between the Yan kees and the Dodgers, the Olsens rode down the hotel elevator with a newly-wed couple. The couple was talking about the series which was to begin that afternoon, when the young bride mentioned she had al ways dreamed of attending the World Series. Olsen reached into his pocket, pulled out two box seat tickets and handed them to the woman. “Enjoy the game,” he said to them. Olsen’s giving does not end with tickets. His generosity also extends to his hometown of Clif ton. He has given land for a hospital, a helicopter field, a high school, a cemetery, an old folks home, streets, and county and state highways. He has provided money to build the high school clubhouse and press room, the entrance and fence for the cemetery, a museum and an old folks home., For his ef fort and support, Olsen The n tioned in October I over 1983 drought, 'stock an searcher [Wednesd; The nu in the sur creased. 1 the U.S. 1 reported slaughter! ' : ng ) ii last year. The in cause bed to fall n spring bee being sem Ray Riley, ences and Dr. Edv stock mar consumpt the price The Re Icent of th in the M! lelection V Registe voters we |tion, and oted mo registerec Photo courtesy of Office of Public Infon Pat Olsen and his wife Elsie reminisce. was named as a Distinguished Alumni in 1981 and was inducted into the A&M Athletic Hall of Fame as one of A&M’s all-time great pitch ers. But honors and awards aren’t why Olsen gives. He said he gives because he enjoys it and because of some ad vice someone gave him in 1930. “If you give from the heart, the Lord will bless you 10 times Olsen said. “If you give ande; something in return, vou'reji horse trader. And the ford do need am 11orse traders.” Accessories business makes millions N 3 9 By LORI BROOKS Reporter In six short years Ginnie Johansen has built a small business geared to the designing of women’s fashion ac cessories into a booming $1 1-million enterprise. As an 18-year-old college fresh man, Johansen happened upon a good thing at the right time. Just six weeks before the preppy craze took off with alligators and men on horses, Johansen was marketing her new product that would fit in per fectly with the new fad. Johansen was at R. Rush and Co. Thursday giving free demonstra tions of her products and how to use them. Founded in 1978, Johansen’s business began to take shape when she needed a belt to go with her khaki pants and Izod shirt. When she could not Find one, she created her own. It was a web and grosgrain ribbon belt with a Velcro closing. Friends liked it and asked her to rpake belts for them. That gave her an idea; she took samples to shops in Dallas, Austin, Waco and San Anto nio and came back with $15,000 in orders. In just six weeks Johansen had accounts in 23 states. Johansen's entrepreneurial father was impressed. He’d recently lef t his job as chief executive of a chemical company to become a management consultant. Little did he know his best prospect was to be his own daughter. Johansen and her father, Gerald Johansen, each put up $12,500 to form Ginnie Johansen Designs, Inc. “He helped me map it out from the very beginning,” Johansen said. “We started out as Ginnie and Daddy, as a team.” By 1982, Ginnie Johansen belts, floppy bow ties and silk scarfs were displayed in 2,000 shops throughout the U.S. and Canada, and the com pany had sales of $6.1 million. Now, at 25, she is half-owner and president, earning well over $100,000. Her father is the chief ex ecutive. Today, Johansen has 90 people working for her. The average work er’s age is 28, and most of them have degrees. Johansen said her company is very service oriented. She sends sales representatives to give seminars and train the sales associates in the stores that carry Ginnie Johansen Designs. Although her success has been rapid; it has not been easy. Heading up a design staff, combing European fabric fairs for the proper materials and helping to manage this booming company has had its share of sacri fices. One was dropping out of col- lege- After her freshman year at Sophie Newcomb College in New' Orleans, she transferred to Southern Meth odist University for tw'o years. “I was under a lot of pressure with the company, and it was hard to make it to classes every day. I don’t like to do anything imcompletely, so I dropped out. A very wise man told me that school will always be there, but your own business won’t,” Jo hansen told the Dallas Times Herald in 1982. Johansen claims her First cus tomer has always been herself. She just started designing accessories for herself. The company always mixes design and marketing in an effort to keep in close touch with its custom ers needs. She started out with the First belt design, adding one silk tie and stead ily growing to six different product areas, including silk neckwnt | sashes, various styles of bells jewelry. Johansen said Ginnie Johai Designs has always placed empl on the quality of its product 9 Si service, so there is little roomljl complaints and returns.Thisislkl winning formula, keeping.C|iialin high priority. Dedication set for todaf p N S N S T exas A&M’s Human Peifot' mance Laboratories will be del icated today at 10:30 a.m. i room 274 East Kyle. The laboratories, named Elouise Beard Smith, widowo A&M tennis coach OmarSmiti L' serve as facilities for lacullvan 1 graduate student research. Projects conducted at the to range from extensive physio and psychological evaluations volunteer faculty and stafftolk ef f ects of using sunscreen. V Pizzaworks J 4 in Friday Afternoon Club 500 Pints $2.00 Pitcher (4-10 p.m. DAILY) 696-DAVE 326 Jersey St. (Next to Rother's Bookstore) OPEN 11 a.m. Daily College Night Friday, October 19 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Precision Haircut & Style - Only $10 Terrific campus cuts at super savings with student I.D. Free gifts & refreshments. RGGIS HAIRSTYLISTS Post Oak Mali • 764-0660 Present Albert Fritsch, Ph.D. “Technology with a Human Face” a unique approach to modern scientific advancements Monday, October 22 at 7:30 pm in Rudder Theatre Free of Charge Catholic and Student Association