Fearless - Just, Rick

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Résumé :
Farris Lind was a fighter pilot, a crop duster, and in his later life, a victim of polio. He had a natural gift for promotion and an ability to turn a bad situation into something positive. Fearless Farris, as he was known, built a thriving chain of gasoline stations by poking fun at himself and Idaho's long, monotonous stretches of desert by creating humorous roadside advertising in the tradition of Burma Shave signs. Tourists-Do Not Laugh at the Natives admonished one of the signs. Petrified Watermelons-Take One Home to Your Mother-In-Law suggested another planted in a field of melon-sized boulders. The reverse side of those signs advertised the next Stinker Station a few miles ahead. They were called Stinker Stations because a major brand gasoline dealer had once called Lind a real stinker because of his low prices. It took Fearless Farris about a second to latch onto that nickname and make a skunk his company mascot and logo. Halfway through his career, Lind contracted polio. He spent much of his time in an iron long for the next 20 years. Paralyzed from the neck down he was always hooked up to a respirator. Even so, he continued to operate his Stinker Stations and grow his business, mostly from his bed. He was honored as the Handicapped American of the Year in 1973. But his favorite recognition was when the Idaho Statesman ran a headline stating that he was the largest petroleum dealer in Idaho. Rick Just has written a new book about Lind called, Fearless. It tells how he went from being a dirt-poor teenager in the Depression to a multimillionaire, always keeping his sense of humor through tragedy and triumph.

Biographie:
Rick Just is a native Idahoan who grew up on a ranch along the Blackfoot River. Just was born in Blackfoot, Idaho, and graduated from Firth High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a Master of Public Administration from Boise State University.Just served in the United States Marine Corps from 1969 to 1971. For 30 years, he worked for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, retiring as chief planner.Just has published four young adult novels, The Wizards Trilogy, consisting of Wizard Girl (2007), Wizard Chase (2012), and Wizard's End (2012), followed by Ghost Writer (2019). He also wrote Anjel (2014).He has written or edited several books on Idaho history, including 100 Years: Idaho and Its Parks (Idaho Parks and Recreation, 2008); Idaho Snapshots (2012); Idaho's State Parks (Images of America Series, 2017); and Keeping Private Idaho (a novel, 2018).His most recent books are A Kid's Guide to Boise (2018), Fearless: The Story of Farris Lind, the Man Behind the Skunk (2019), and Symbols, Signs, and Songs, the first in the Speaking of Idaho History Series (2020).Rick Just was elected to the Idaho Senate (15th District) in November 2022, and assumed office on December 1, 2022.