Page 4/The Battalion/Friday, October 19, 1984
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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
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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