We Need a BHAG Goal
Fifty years ago last week the USS North Carolina pulled into its final permanent birth in Wilmington, culminating many months of dreaming, planning, fundraising and logistical hurdles.
The dream started with two visionaries, Jimmy Craig and Hugh Morton. These two knew something as big as bringing a battleship to North Carolina would require more than a dream. They enlisted support from a local steering committee, then convinced Governors Luther Hodges and later Terry Sanford to form a statewide battleship commission of prominent persons to make this dream become a reality. At times it seemed an insurmountable task, requiring large sums of money and incredible persuasive ability to convince first the federal government to give the North Carolina to our state then to raise the money.
I was a teen at the time but I remember a part of the campaign that asked students to save our dimes to help bring the North Carolina home. In the late 50’s a Pepsi or Coke cost 7 cents, admission to the Saturday movie matinee was 9 cents, gas was 19 cents a gallon and a Hardee’s hamburger was 15 cents. A dime was a sacrifice to a young person in those days but this was a challenge, a big goal and our entire state was engaged in making this dream become a reality. I remember well how good we felt when it was announced that we had achieved this ambitious task. It feels good to succeed.
Our nation and our state could use a victory right. Just as was the case 50 years ago in bringing home the North Carolina we need to dream big, enlist visionary leadership and develop a plan of action that would inspire and engage us to action. Dr. Jim Collins once called this a BHAG, a big hairy audacious goal.
Calling all dreamers.
I agree 100%. Our Country and our State needs a vision. And, we need to encourage innovation. For the innovators and the creators to succeed government must get out of the way! I once heard the expression "if you want to succeed, then hitch your wagon to a star, and then get out and push." Our State and our nation need to identify these "stars", hitch our wagons, and then start pushing. Where are today's "stars."
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Very interesting but I believe you are a bit off on the cost of gas, cokes,
movies, and hambergers in 1961. A McDonald hamberger, fries, and a coke
were 99 cents.
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I beg to differ. I was 15 in 1961 and actually spent 15 cents for a burger, 10 cents for a drink and 10 cents for fries. We didn't have McDonalds.
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I was born in 1955 and do not remember the campaign to bring the U.S.S. North Carolina home, but I did visit Her at the age of eight, and still recall the proud feeling I had while walking up that pier and seeing this amazing creation. I just hope that we can find dreamers that still get that feeling of pride when they look at this amazing creation we call America.
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musta been mcdonald's; hardees wasn't founded until 1960;
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Doug, I came from Greenville, where the very first Hardee's opened in 1961. We didn't have McDonalds for several years after that.
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I think this is a wonderful idea!
Let's all start stacking our extra nickels in the corner, so when the current North Carolina, SSN 777, gets decommissioned in twenty years, we won't have a crisis to bring her home, lol.
On a more serious note, I agree with Jesse, and plan to hitch my independent wagon to Herman Cain's star!
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