Waiting in Waco
The Dallas Morning News
Aug. 9, 1998

The other day I told a friend and colleague I would be arriving late for our meeting in Minneapolis since I had to speak to a Rotary club in Waco first. My friend—a sophisticated lady from the Northeast, specifically New York City and Boston—flinched when I mentioned Waco, because of you know what. I assured her Waco was a fine place. I also told her Waco is the home of Baylor University. She didn't know that.

I flew down to Waco on American Eagle so it could bring me back to DFW for my flight to Minneapolis. At the Waco airport I called a cab to take me to the Lion's Den, the Rotary meeting place. Once in the cab, the driver and I got to talking.

I learned that he had recently retired from ranching after a mild stroke. He had ranched in one place for 25 years and in another for 17 and taught Sunday school all that time. He had moved to the outskirts of Waco to be closer to medical facilities. Church work wasn't enough to keep him busy, so about a year ago he'd answered an ad for cabdrivers. It was something to pass the time and make himself useful.

My driver wasn't sure where the Lion's Den was. When he realized he'd made a wrong turn, he pulled over to study his map, apologizing profusely and repeatedly. He shut off the meter while he got his bearings. We found the Lion's Den in plenty of time. In fact, we were early. I paid the fare and asked if he could pick me up after the meeting.

Inside the Lion's Den about three hundred Rotarians and I had brisket, sausage and chicken with potato salad, coleslaw, pinto beans and iced tea, self-served in Styrofoam plates and cups. Dessert was cherry cobbler. For some reason, I thought of my friend from the Northeast.

Each table in the huge hall had a copy of Rotary's four-way test for what members think, say and do. As the guest of honor, I received a wallet-sized card and a plastic key chain, each with the four things printed on them for convenient reference. Here are the four things:

• Is it the TRUTH?
• Is it FAIR to all concerned?
• Will it build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
• Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

I put the card and key chain in my pocket as I stood for the "friendship" song. That was followed by "The Star-Spangled Banner." Then came the Pledge of Allegiance. Next was the prayer, led by the head of the local NationsBank.

My talk went pretty well. After all, the economy is good these days. The Q & A also went well, once I reassured some of my questioners that I, too, believe in the virtues of small government and low debt.

My new friend, the cabdriver, picked me up on schedule and apologized again for the earlier wrong turn. I asked if he'd ever been to Rotary. He said he hadn't, so I gave him the card with the four-way test. When we arrived at the airport, he came in to await potential fares, reading a paperback book to fill the time. My scheduled wait doubled when American Eagle canceled my flight—I assume because it wasn't full enough. They didn't say.

After a while, my friend came over and told me he had read the four things. He thought they were good rules to live by, so I gave him the key chain to keep them handy. I asked what he was reading, and he said just something that was easy to put down when he got a customer. He reads his Bible at home every night, but he doesn't bring it to work.

My friend then introduced himself to me by name—Norvil Flatt. We shook hands. I asked if he was kin to Dicky Flatt, Sen. Phil Gramm's friend. He said he wasn't, but wished he was. I told him I did, too. I gave him my business card after changing "Robert" to "Bob" and invited him to visit me at the Fed the next time he came to Dallas. Norvil said he might. I hope he does.

As I sat at the Waco Regional Airport waiting for the next flight—hoping it would be full enough—I got to thinking two things. First, Rotary should recruit Norvil Flatt. I'm sure he already lives the four things, plus at least 10 others. Surely they could use a good cabdriver. Second, if anyone has any extra time to kill, they can do worse than Waco. And that goes for my sophisticated friend from the Northeast.

About the Author Bob McTeer is president and chief executive officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.