To Our Readers
AS THE STAR-BULLETIN headed toward its new life, I could not help but think about my grandfather's big adventure. There’s no looking back
and no standing still in
our new adventureDean Corsa graduated from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., with an engineering degree, spent time in Cuba discovering lead and zinc mines and then served as an Army captain during World War I.
After the war, he worked for a New Jersey-based mining company but sought a career without the travel when he and his wife decided to start a family.
His brother Will, known worldwide for the Percheron horses he bred in the little town of White Hall, Ill., told him of an opportunity -- the federal government was about to begin issuing licenses for the production of serum to fight hog cholera.
So my grandfather bought land outside of White Hall and established Gregory Laboratory (now part of Pfizer, Inc.). He built facilities and assembled a professional staff. Competition was fierce, as big established companies and newly formed ones fought to gain the upper hand.
Starting in November 1925 and every month until he died in 1938, my grandfather mailed a 24-page pamphlet -- Lab in the Country -- to veterinarians throughout the Midwest. The middle four pages were devoted to an essay by my grandfather, "As Man to Man," in which he laid out his business philosophy.
I really enjoy reading his thoughts, because it has helped me to know him. Here is a passage from an early entry, which fits our competitive situation today:
"Any firm or individual that assumes it has at last attained a place where it is safe to stand still is headed hell-bent for a fall. Standing still in a world of motion is equivalent to going backward by express."
I keep that in mind as we move full-speed ahead at the new Star-Bulletin.
Frank Bridgewater is managing editor of the Star-Bulletin.
Call him at 529-4791. He can be reached at: fbridgewater@starbulletin.com or write to
500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.