Dear Editor:
He asked me if I wanted his autograph - Stan Musial.
Working in the position we were, the other secretary and I met not only members of the legislative bodies but also the business owners and really important people from other locations from within Missouri as well as Prentice-Hall with whom I had contact with in New York. But I can honestly say the Mr. Musial was a jewel and stood out among the really nice and friendlier ones.
At the time my employment as an administrative secretary was in a large department in the Jefferson Building. Two secretaries shared a large room right next door to the director's office. Our two desks were in front of our two bosses with their individual small offices (but they got the salaries that we would like to have had.)
On this particular day I was typing a hurry-up job dictated by my boss early that morning that had to be typed on my IBM and rushed over to the governor's office as he was to attend a business meeting in the middle of the afternoon in another building.
The director's voice came drifting through the open doorway with the words "I want you to meet my two favorite secretaries." The other secretary asked if she could have his autograph for her son as he so admired him. As he turned away from her desk, he headed over to me and I mentioned I had no children but Hugh and I would love to have his autograph. We talked for about three to four minutes while he signed the card. He signed Stan followed underneath with Stan Musial. As he was leaving our workplace he turned in the doorway looking back and said, "Bev, please call me Stan." I sat just inside the doorway. A little later upon looking at the card again and recalling how he addressed me, I did wonder about the shortened first name title, which I do like to be addressed by, but in all probability the director had introduced me by my first full name.
What a wonderful reputation and character Stan possessed and to honor his request to call him by his first name, I am taking the liberty of ending this little tribute to him.
He was truly Stan the Man.