Speech given by Alan Johnson
October 20th, 2012
Dave Davignon came to work for us on April 21st,
1970. He is retiring in another
week and a half with forty-two and a half years of service.
When Dave came to R.N. Johnson’s he was 23 years old,
single, and had been out of the army for two years. He applied to be a mechanic. My grandfather hired him for the princely sum of $3.15 per
hour. (Kate was surprised to see that he had hair!)
Dave was well suited for the farm machinery business, having grown up on a small family dairy farm in Orleans, Vermont. He was well suited for R.N. Johnson’s because he knew how to work, was not afraid to get his hands dirty, and had a can do attitude.
I am not sure how much time Dave spent in his first years as
a mechanic. As far back as I can
remember, Dave drove truck – and he was good at it. Customers liked him, and although I am sure he never told
him, my grandfather loved him. My
grandfather loved and respected anyone who would stand up to him when they
thought they were right. This was
probably a frequent occurrence, because I have never known Dave to think he was
wrong!
When I graduated from college in 1980, my grandfather put me
in charge of sales. I needed a new
salesman and with help from George Gage, I lobbied long and hard for my
grandfather to let me have Dave.
It was my belief that Dave had talent, skill, and potential that were
not being utilized driving truck and that he would do quite well in sales.
I can remember that my grandfather was easier to convince
than Dave. Dave was not sure that
he could do the job. It is the
only time I have ever seen Dave show a lack of confidence. Thankfully, he trusted me and in 1981
he became a salesman for R.N. Johnson.
Dave was a natural.
He already knew most of our customers, he knew farming, and he knew
machinery. I can still remember
making a 3x5 index card for Dave with different models of manure spreaders with
their capacity in bushels and cubic feet so that he could know how to quickly
match one brand against another – apples to apples. As far as I know, Dave still has that card. (He does.)
When Dave made a deal which my grandfather did not like, he
would say to me: “Your Frenchman
did this, or your Frenchman did that.”
To Dave’s credit, being a Frenchman was the most disparaging thing my
grandfather could think of to say.
(Cathie says that her mother was the same way.)
In no time, Dave became the most successful salesman in the
company. He could sell farm
machinery and he could sell lawn and garden equipment. He could help design and sell milking
systems, gutter cleaners, or silo un loaders, and if need be – he could help
set up, deliver or install any of them.
A few years back, Dave suffered a brain tumor. He scared the hell out of us and his
family. Fortunately, the tumor was
operable, was removed and Dave made a full recovered. This is the only time I recall Dave ever missing work for
being sick. If Dave could get out
of bed and stand upright, he wanted to be at work.
Dave continues to be our most consistently successful
salesman, routinely generating over a million dollars in sales a year –
regardless of the economy. He will
be sorely missed. My only regret
is that I could not get away with paying him $3.15 an hour.
After forty-two and one half years, like my grandfather, the
worst thing I san say about Dave is that he IS a Frenchman! But I say it with great affection. It is my sincere hope that Dave looks
back on the time he spent here with fondness, many happy memories and no regrets.
I am appreciated and thankful for Dave’s loyalty to this
company, his dedication, determination, hard work, and especially his friendship. I admire and respect Dave not only for
his work ethic, but also more importantly for his sense of humor, honesty,
integrity, faith, and devotion to his family.
I am not worried about Dave keeping busy in his
retirement. He is devoted to his
wife Cathie, his children, John, Michael, and Katie – and to his
grandchildren. Thanks to Cathie,
Dave has learned to relax, travel, and take vacations. Within hours of walking away from his
desk for the last time, Dave and Cathie will be flying west to spend time in
Seattle with John and his wife and then to Japan to spend time with Michael and
his family in Yokohama. After
that, I envision Dave immersing himself in his other passion…sugaring.
Thank you, Dave.
We wish you all the best – health, happiness, and peace. May God bless you and your family
always.
As a small going – away present, Terry has something for you…
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