We are here today to celebrate and participate in a young ladies huge achievement, her High School Graduation. An Honor Roll student, she has made this mark in her life through much adversity. The latest of which is not being allowed to participate in her High School class ceremonies, all because she did not have the proper shoes. I convey to you today, maybe she did what she thought was financially prudent. She bought a pair of shoes that looked decent and she could wear them for her graduation as well as work or other functions later. Trisina Sanders, I applaud you for your accomplishments and wish you much success in your future endeavors.

Now – Who am I and why was I asked to speak today. I am a businessman from Laurel, Delaware. I am David G. Horsey, president of David G. Horsey & Sons, Inc. a company with well over 200 employees. I think I was asked to speak today to show Trisina, that life may beat us down once in a while. But don’t let it stop you, move on with life and grab the next opportunity that presents itself.

These past couple of weeks since reading about Miss Sanders situation, has brought back some memories to me. You see I came from a hard working farm family. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we had love for one another. One of my first bad memories was January 1949, our family home burned to the ground and we didn’t save many things. My Fifth grade class took up a collection to buy me a jacket. I still remember what it was; it was a tan windbreaker. I thoroughly appreciated that jacket, but I can’t tell you how embarrassed I was to take it.

When I grew up and started my working life, I became a long distance truck driver. I also married the young lady that has stuck with me through the hard times and now the best times of our lives. You see we have been married for 46 years. The early years of our marriage, we had very little money.

Coming home from New York, one day I ran out of money and knew I couldn’t call my wife because she didn’t have any money either. So, I kept enough money for one phone call and one cup of coffee, then swapped cigarettes for the Delaware Memorial Bridge toll.

There were numerous other occasions similar to that, once when I was coming from Pompano, Florida and ran out of money in Santee, S.C. Through borrowing some money and charging fuel of which I paid it all back, I made it home.

 

 

Then on July 27th, 1985, a lot of these minor problems were buried deep in my memories because the tragedy of all tragedies struck my family. We had a son killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. On the way home from the hospital, I did not know where the money was coming from to bury him. I had thought we would lose everything to foreclosure by the late 1980’s. But when the insurance for Tim’s death came in, we had $36,000 left after burying him. That $36,000 is what got all of the Horsey Companies started that you see in Sussex and other counties today. The Companies have done very well. I haven’t wanted to bore you with my ramblings about my life. I have a couple more points to make and then I’ll close.

1. I don’t know if there is a dollar out there that I could make such as 200 million, 500 million, or 5 billion. If that dollar would make me forget my roots-where I came from, life’s hardships then I don’t want to make it.

2. To Miss Sanders, you have just been through a bad experience. Please learn from this. Put your adversities aside and put your adversaries behind you and move on to the next opportunity and grab the right opportunity.

3.To Trisina, I have dressed like this today to show clothes don’t make a person. I dress in casual clothes 99.9% of the time. To anyone who would say clothing and shoes are the most important part of the evening I would say why? As long as everyone is dressed decently and to the best of their financial ability, I say go for it. As for as my clothes are concerned, I don’t depend on them to carry me. I depend on my accomplishments and my ability to run a business.

4.Trisina, I understand you are going to college to study business. Please finish your education and then go out and find a position, there are a lot of good companies out there that need good young people to work with them including my companies.

5.Trisina, much luck, much success and much happiness for the rest of your life. Just remember this comment. Don’t worry about the mule just load the wagon. In other words life can’t put more on you then you can take.

6.Trisina, let me thank you and everyone here today for sharing these last few moments in your lives.

Thank you,

David G. Horsey