It was the summer leading into my senior year in college. I was really fortunate my high school freshman basketball coach, Stan Woerner, hired me to run his Ice Cream delivery business. Think Good Humor trucks. Stan had a base of delivery trucks in Chicago Heights, Rock Island and Peoria. He hired me when I was 15, first as a delivery man, and then eventually to run his warehouse.
Running the warehouse meant I met the drivers every morning at the shop when they picked up their trucks and every evening when they brought them in. My duties were to meet the delivery man twice a week and restock the warehouse, take orders from the ice cream drivers to fill their trucks, fill the trucks, and then count money from the day and take orders for the next day. I did this throughout my college career. Stan would ask me "how much I needed for school" and then pay me what I needed plus 10%. I was extremely fortunate.
One night while I was at the warehouse checking in drivers and counting money, a man walked in, nylon stocking on his head, bearing a gun. The gun went to my forehead. "Give me your money" We had in the neighborhood of $1500 collected for the day. I put the money in a gym bag and he left, closing the doors and threatening to shoot if we followed.
I was stunned/shocked during the encounter, but more scared one of the drivers might try to be a hero. With the gun at my head a sudden movement might be fatal But...nothing happened.
I called Stan, the police and waited to make a report. Stan told me to take the money we had left, $50 or so, and go have a drink to decompress. We locked the warehouse, walked to my car, turned the key and on the radio....Billy Joel.... "Only the Good Die Young" I couldn't make this up. True story
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