Day 125 - 12 May 95 - Page 32
1 noticed a dramatic change in his personality in the sense
2 that he came out of his shell. He was very much
3 introverted and he became more outgoing.
4
5 He felt, you know, quite good about himself in that he knew
6 that he was the best at something. He was able to
7 demonstrate to all that he was the best there was in the
8 production area. His parents, you know, broke down and
9 cried at the banquet and shared with management that they
10 were so appreciative that we would do something like that
11 for her son David.
12
13 I would say that, from that experience, he went on to go
14 into management, became a store manager, an area supervisor
15 and up until just recently was a franchisee, owner of three
16 stores. On occasion I have received letters from Dave
17 where he has just talked about his McDonald's experience;
18 how it changed not only his life but his family's life. He
19 was able to buy his parents a home and provide for his
20 family in a fashion that he could have not otherwise have
21 dreamed of.
22
23 So, I mean, that was just one of many cases that I could
24 probably talk about, but one that has touched me that
25 I know of, you know, have first hand experience of. I can
26 say that, I dare say there are situations like that all
27 around the country as a result, not only just of the
28 Olympics, but the experience that people have had at
29 McDonald's.
30
31 MS. STEEL: Mr. Beavers, no doubt for every one of those who got
32 some position in the Olympics, there are tens of people who
33 had their confidence shattered because they did not make
34 it, they were not good enough and they thought they had put
35 their all into doing something and they did not get
36 anywhere?
37 A. No, I do not think that that is fair. We all want
38 certain things in life and, unfortunately, we do not all
39 get what we want out of life, but I think there is great
40 value in going for those things that we consider to be
41 important. I think there is a lot of -- there are a lot of
42 lessons, there is a lot to be gained for going for it,
43 whether you want to be a baseball player, a soccer player,
44 a manager of a restaurant. To say that there is no value
45 in going for what you want and failing to win the prize as
46 being a shattering experience, perhaps for a very few that
47 might be the case, but for most I think it helps them to be
48 a stronger individual. It helps to build character. It
49 helps them to be a better person. That has been my
50 experience over my 30 some years in the work world.
51
52 Q. It helps them to be more productive for McDonald's?
53 A. It helps them to be better individuals, period, whether
54 at McDonald's, at home, or even after they leave
55 McDonald's. I think that there is value in teaching people
56 it is all right to go for something and, even if you do not
57 quite make it, it is still good that you went for it. It
58 still makes you a better person. I think we all should
59 hitch our wagon to a star and hope that we reach it.
60
