Posted on 09/11/2019 11:50:22 AM PDT by Hojczyk
Pickens had an energy career that went from laborer to tycoon — and the Oklahoma State benefactor was among the few business elites granted "dual citizenship" on both sides of the Red River.
T. Boone Pickens, legendary energy executive, philanthropist, ardent Oklahoma State University supporter and one of America's most famous entrepreneurs, died peacefully Wednesday of natural causes at his home in the Vendome. He was 91.
Over the years, Pickens gave $2 million to the VNA Dallas' Meals on Wheels. He spent many Christmas and Thanksgiving days delivering turkey dinners to recipients who had no clue who the delivery guy was.
As Pickens left, he'd hand them a crisp hundred-dollar bill, saying it was from Santa Claus.
Today Pickens' name is on more than a dozen buildings and facilities in North Texas, including the YMCA in downtown Dallas, the biomedical building at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Texas Woman's University's Institute of Health Sciences-Dallas Center,
Boone-isms
“Be willing to make decisions. That’s the most important quality in a good leader.”
“Don’t fall victim to what I call the ‘ready-aim-aim-aim-aim’ syndrome. You must be willing to fire.”
"Show up early. Work hard. Stay late. Work eight hours and sleep eight hours, and make sure they are not the same eight hours."
"I told a friend, 'This is the kind of market that builds character.' He looked at me and said, 'If it gets any worse, you'll have more character than Abe Lincoln.' "
"My mother once told me, 'Son, you talk too much. You should listen more. You don't even know who the enemy is.' "
“If you’re on the right side of the issue, just keep driving until you hear glass breaking. Don’t quit.”
"Play by the rules. It's no fun if you cheat."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
Memory eternal.
Not well-regarded here in Pittsburgh. His hostile takeover activity cost the area a lot of jobs in the late 70’s.
RIP
I loved the guy. Arranged a meeting in Florida for him to meet possible donors and supporters for a presidential campaign. It was the best meeting they had in Florida. Met him again at a speech he gave in Dallas. I always loved his mind, he would have been a great Prez..
I have some of his writings. He was a great man who seems actually simple, not the least bit pretentious.
He accepted his age with grace but always seemed to have a few irons in the fire.
First Perot, now Pickens.
That was almost 40 years ago. And considering how PA’s economy has benefitted from fracking, I suspect Pickens will be kindly remembered.
He spoke at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management when I was a student there.
He said the banks would loan him money because he could explain clearly what he planned to do. And that if he couldn’t explain it clearly, he didn’t deserve to get the money.
I don’t think the average Yinzer has any idea the he had anything to do with fracking.
They just knew that Gulf Oil left town and Uncle Stan had to move to Charlotte to take a job that wasn’t half as good n’at.
Yep, it’s always painful in the short-term, but the cost of putting off the inevitable is always much higher.
Hostile takeovers are brutal, but they are all about efficiency. If he hadn’t done that, the inefficient businesses would have gone under and ALL the jobs would have disappeared. You can count on that.
I’ve been in companies purchased by private equity firms and they get really strict about cost control. In the end, the downsized companies emerge leaner, more profitable, and more competitive and thus more likely to stay in business. Of course, some PE firms raid companies, bleed them dry, and hang them out to dry.
It’s called free enterprise. It’s tough on the receiving end, but you have to learn to adapt.
-PJ
RIP.
5.56mm
He was big on wrecking the countryside with farms of thousands of those wretched giant propellers called windmill.
I don’t get your point. Pickens was not going to be a third candidate. Not his style at all.
Both were legendary Texas billionaires, that’s what I was thinking.
The fact that he participated in that says he is as much a scam artist as talented entrepreneur!
No amount of plain speaking can justify that investment unless the goal is government’s pocket to Pickens’ pocket.
People in this town take such things VERY personally.
I had relatives who were constantly badmouthing Andrew Carnegie 80 years after he had died.
I remember T Boone Pickens was interviewed and/or wrote an article about new businesses - He said, there are TWO reasons on why businesses fail.
I have been looking for that interview / article ever since. Can’t find it online
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