REALTORS(r) Lead the Way!
I saw an inspirational item at the Chicago History Museum yesterday. It was about a man named William D. Kerfoot, who moved to Chicago in 1861 and got into the real estate business. (At that time, the “REALTOR®” moniker hadn’t been coined as yet. In fact neither had the National Association of Realtors®. The latter came into being in 1909, initially as the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges. The name was subsequently changed to the National Association of Real Estate Boards [NAREB] in 1916, which is the same year the term “REALTOR®” was devised. In 1949 and 1950, respectively, “REALTOR®” and “REALTORS®” were registered with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office as NAREB trademarks. In 1972, NAREB changed its name to the National Association of REALTORS®, which it retains to this day. It is one of the largest trade associations in the United States, with current membership of over 1.1 million men and women. But I digress…)
Anyway, Mr. Kerfoot, like so many Chicagoans, was wiped out in the great Chicago fire of 1871, but that did not dampen his entrepreneurial spirit. The very next day after the fire ended, he reopened his business in a small shack that bore a sign attesting to his faith and courage. The sign read: "All gone but WIFE CHILDREN and ENERGY." His story became one of the most popular published accounts of the great fire.
Today, faced with economic hardships that may nearly (but not completely) rival the Chicago fire, we can still take strength in one man’s undying spirit and rise to meet the challenge!
Anyway, Mr. Kerfoot, like so many Chicagoans, was wiped out in the great Chicago fire of 1871, but that did not dampen his entrepreneurial spirit. The very next day after the fire ended, he reopened his business in a small shack that bore a sign attesting to his faith and courage. The sign read: "All gone but WIFE CHILDREN and ENERGY." His story became one of the most popular published accounts of the great fire.
Today, faced with economic hardships that may nearly (but not completely) rival the Chicago fire, we can still take strength in one man’s undying spirit and rise to meet the challenge!
| Bob Dohn Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage 140-A S. Roselle Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60193 Direct phone: 847-301-3126 Web: www.BobDohn.com |
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