Most of you know him as Mr. Henry Weiss, you know, the man over at Columbus Scrap Material. In the past few weeks Mr. Henry has been getting accolades in this paper for his years of service in his business and of course, all he has done for the city of Columbus. Rightly so. However, I would like to tell you what Mr. H (as I always called him) has meant to me and my family.
Years ago, back in the 50s, my Dad, Billy Coleman, worked for Price Auto Parts. The store was located on the corner beside what is now Party and Paper, across the street from what was Laws Drugstore. He delivered parts on a bicycle around town, and that is how he came into Mr. H’s world over at Columbus Scrap, which at that time was located next to Columbus Brick on Military Road. He would pedal that bike from uptown Columbus, along Military Road, to the Scrap Yard with parts in his bike basket. I remember him telling me, in later years, that he would get all the way back uptown and Mr. Henry would need another fan belt and so, off he would have to go again.
Mr. Henry, being the business person he would become, came to the realization that he was selling as many car and truck parts as he was buying scrap. However, he did not know anything about cars and trucks and such, so he asked my dad would he like to start a junkyard next door to his scrap yard.
It was a big decision for my parents; we were living with my grandparents on 23rd Street, about a block from Propst Park, a wonderful neighborhood to grow-up in. I remember them telling me about this decision to leave the job uptown.
No one left a good job “back then.” Not many have been able to resist Mr. H’s enthusiasm, either, so Dixie Auto Parts, Inc. was started in 1957. The boss did not know a thing about parts and my dad did not know a thing about running a business, but the two of them worked hard and now, here we are some 60 years later, and this is what I want to say about Mr. Henry.
I think it is all good to make a lot of money and build tall buildings and see your kids through college, driving good, dependable cars. I think it is wonderful to support Columbus in any endeavor that she needs to grow and prosper. I think that it just great to be a role model to people you do not even know are watching you. I believe it is a mark of a good man, when you hear his voice, you smile.
All of these things can be said about Mr. Henry.
He is smart, hard-working, and ready with a helping hand. He produced three beautiful children, who in turn, has given him talented grandchildren. Mr. Henry does need to be patted on the back.
Sometimes, though, the stories behind the story are just as important. As the years, flowed by, Mr. Henry decided to sell his part of Dixie Auto to my family and here we are today.
We still make a living at the junkyard. We do not have a lot of money, but we have never missed a paycheck (some months that would come into question). We have had health insurance, and Thursday I will go grocery shopping with a full tank of gas in my car.
What would we have done without this man’s educated guess that Columbus could use a place to buy used car and truck parts?
We have all moved on now to new locations: Columbus Scrap to the “Island” and Dixie Auto Parts way out Highway 50. My Dad is gone but my Mom still comes to work most days just to keep me and my son, Judson, in line. Mr. Henry has sold out but still oversees his many yards scattered around Mississippi and Tennessee. Long after I am gone and Mr. Henry is gone, I wonder if these businesses will still be supporting our families. I sure hope they will because I have a grandson coming along who just loves the junkyard, but that will be another story.
So, Mr. Henry Weiss, I just want to tell you in a very public way how much you mean to me, and to many more people. Yes, you are successful in your business life, but how many people can say they have touched so many lives as you have? Thank you, Mr. H.
P. S. Thank you, also, for the black poodle dog you gave me for my 1968 graduation gift. You asked what I wanted, and I got the dog of my dreams, Josh. He brought us as much joy as you have but, alas, not as many years. He cost $35. I still remember.
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