Jade Jean Blog

The mayor questioned further. “Are you working now?” Nora hung her head. “I’m on unemployment. But to be honest, I do have a side job. I don’t report it to the unemployment office. They’d cut off my benefits.” “I see,” he responded. The mayor, a kind man with empathy as deep and wide as the Mississippi, looked the other way, so to speak.

“Have you ever read any of my books?” I inquired. “No, sir. Not because I didn’t want to. I just couldn’t afford them.” There were some more questions, and then Nora was escorted out. Nora whispered to Dr. Lee out in the hall that she just knew she had lown it.

The next interview was with Mary and Steve Bonenberger—a cleancut couple obviously behind the financial eight ball. My purpose in interviewing them was to find out if they were goal oriented—the first clue to finding a go- getter. When asked for specific goals and dreams, they didn’t hesitate a moment. They had always wanted to start their own church. This answer and others confirmed that Mary should be one of the final three.

The fourth interview was with Abdul Shakir and his wife. They were
older—he was fifty- four, she about the same—but the fire was gone
from their eyes. Allah had other plans for these humble servants.

Taken From:The ROAD TO WEALTH

We decided not to let Nora or Mary know they had already been
selected but to let them go through the interview process to see how they handled pressure. The interviews with the final people and their spouses were scheduled for seven that night at the Cheshire Inn. John Poelker, the former mayor of St. Louis and an ex-FBI agent, had graciously agreed to act as referee to verify that the selection process had not been rigged in any way.

‘This is it,” I said, as we retired to our various rooms. Seven o’clock. The upper room of the Cheshire was beautifully decorated in an Old English motif. A large stone fireplace stood at the far end of the room. Mayor Poelker and I, sitting in leather high-backed chairs, were introduced to the first of the finalists—Caldwell Jones. His fiancée could not get off work to attend the final interview. Mayor
Poelker broke the ice by explaining his role in the Challenge. He then
asked the young man some questions to determine his eligibility. When he was satisfied, he turned to me for further questioning. After the young man had been ushered from the room, Mayor Poelker remarked that he seemed to have too much going for him—he was just too All-American. I agreed.

Nora Jean Boles was introduced to us next. “I have a dream,” she began when asked why she wanted to participate in the Challenge. “I want to build a resort. I even have a place for it975 acres near where I live.”

“What if you aren’t in the final three?” I asked to test her. “I won’t quit till I have it,” she responded. The mayor and I looked at each other. It was the answer we were looking for.

Taken From:The ROAD TO WEALTH

“She’s a tank, Bob. She won’t break any speed records, but she’s a
survivor. I’d be disappointed if she wasn’t one of the final three.”
I looked at Tom for his reaction. “I agree,” he said, smiling.

“That settles it, then,” I said. “Nora’s in. How about this Mary
Bonenberger? I don’t remember her.” “She’s at the top of my list,” Dr. Lee replied. “Her husband is a Baptist minister. They’re having a tough time financially. But she’s solid as a rock.”

We eliminated three others from the list for various reasons. That left
Philip Moore, Caldwell Jones, the All-American, and Abdul Shakir. All black.

“OK, then,” I said. “I guess the final spot will go to one of these three. I remember Moore and Caldwell. Both yo ung and willing. Who’s
this Abdul Shakir?” ‘He’s older. Some experience with fix- up. A very religious person— Black Muslim, I think. Soft-spoken. You’ll like him.”

Taken From:The ROAD TO WEALTH

I learned that St. Louis proper had a population of almost half a million50 percent black—with over two million in the surrounding metropolitan area. The inner city had undergone major urban flight in the sixties and early seventies, losing almost a third of its population—more than any other city in America.

But recently there had been a considerable renaissance in many
neighborhoods. Yuppies were homesteading in droves. The pendulum
had begun to swing in the other direction.

As we drove, we caught several glimpses of the mighty Mississippi
River, which flo ws serenely through the city. I learned that St. Louis was not only the nation’s busiest inland river port but also boasted the
headquarters of Anheuser-Busch, the nation’s largest brewer of beer, as
well as being the site of several major automobile assembly factories for
General Motors and Chrysler.

Coombs brought me back to the hotel around 4:30 P.M., just as Dr.
Lee and Tom Painter returned with the names for the final interviews
that evening. I quickly perused the sheet of names. “I see Nora Boles made the cut,” I said, looking at Dr. Lee questioningly.

Taken From:The ROAD TO WEALTH

Speeding down the freeway, she went over a strategy in her mind. It
was down to eight people. She qualified in almost every respect.
Unemployed. Discouraged—boy, was she discouraged! She had her
beat-up car for transportation. But the two part-time jobs worried her.
They probably won’t object to a weekend part-time job. But I’d better
quit the donut shop.

She pulled in the driveway to her house and went straight inside to
call the owner of the donut shop. “Hello, Phyllis? This is Nora Jean. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to quit my job.”

“What’s come up?” “I can’t really explain right now. I’ve just got this other opportunity.” Nora hung up the phone. She’d really done it now—burned her bridges. How was she going to make ends meet? She tried not to think of that. She’d worry about it after the interview.

While Blaine Lee was narrowing the field to eight, I had gone on an eyeopening tour of the city with Bob Coombs, a successful local investor. Coombs had driven me into north St. Louis to show me the racially mixed neighborhoods where I was able to soak up the flavor of the real estate market—the prices, the customs, the declining areas, those on the upswing.

Taken From:The ROAD TO WEALTH

Nora finished reading and began filling out the new form. By the time she and the others had finished their face-to- face interviews with
Dr. Lee, it was past two o’clock. The sheet listing the final selections
was to be posted at four.

Mary Bonenberger waited patiently in her car. If her name were on
that list, she’d be expected to return for one final interview with Robert Allen. That would conflict with her daughter’s birthday party, scheduled for seven that evening. Katie was turning three, and all of the extended family was coming over for a family celebration. She tried not to worry about it. If she made the final cut, she’d just have to call and tell everyone to come early. She hoped they’d understand.

At four o’clock, Tom Painter posted the new sheet. It consisted of
eight names:
Caldwell Jones
Philip Moore
Richard Dabney
Abdul Shakir
Jamal Coley
Robert Russell
Mary Bonenberger
Nora Jean Boles

Mary saw her name and ran to a pay phone to call Steve. Philip gave
a shout of excitement. Nora’s name was there also. Nora jumped in her car. Her fingers trembled as she fumbled with the keys to the ignition. “Oh, God,” she prayed under her breath. “I want this.”

Taken From:The ROAD TO WEALTH

“Hi,” he said. “What do you think about all of this?”
Mary Bonenberger smiled. “I think it’s great. I called my husband, and he’s even more excited than I am.” “Yeah. My wife can’t believe it either. Think we’ll make it?” They were interrupted by Dr. Lee speaking from the front of the room. “Thanks for coming back,” he said as he passed out some more forms

“Unfortunately, we can select only three of you. Quite frankly, some
of you are too strong. We are looking for someone who has some big
hurdles to overcome but who still has the will to succeed. This is not
going to be a joyride. It’s going to be one of the toughest things you will ever do. Any questions? No? OK. Please review the materials, fill out the next application, and when you’re done, I’ll interview each of you in turn.” Nora Jean Boles studied the new materials.

CHALLENGE OVERVIEW, PART II
If you are selected for the Challenge, you will be asked to overcome
personal doubt and fear, the criticism of friends, and some self-defeating habits. You will be asked to set goals, learn new skills and become independent. There will be no nine-to-five job, with a time clock and an employee benefits plan. This will require you to responsible for yourself. Are you willing to do that? You will be given two days of intensive training at no charge to you. Then, you will be on your own for ninety days. You will have books and other materials to refer to, and the use of a telephone hot line for consultations as needed. But the work will be up to you. There is no guarantee of success but if you follow the system, you should be able to end up with new skills, a new vocation and money in the bank.

Throughout the 90 days a film crew will record what happens to you.
Later, a documentary film will be made of the entire experience so that others can be motivated by observing your failures and successes. Whether or not you are selected, your being here is evidence that you are willing to pay a price to improve your situation. We sincerely wish you the best in dealing with your personal and financial challenges.

Taken From:The ROAD TO WEALTH

As I drove back to the hotel, I was reminded of a song from one of the Rocky movies.

It’s the eye of the tiger,
It’s the thrill of the fight;

Rising up to the challenge of our rival.

And the, last known survivor stalks his prey in the night; And he’s watching us all with the eye of the tiger.

“The eye of the tiger,” I thought to myself. “That’s what I’m looking
for.”

Back in the Palladium Room, Dr. Lee was preparing to address the
seventeen people who had returned at eleven o’clock for further
interviews.

Philip Moore, sitting in this group, surveyed his competition, calculating the odds in his mind. There are six other black men. Got to be a least one black in the final three. One out of seven. There are two older women. One with a hat. A couple of white men. One has a German accent. A hippie. Then he noticed the young woman sitting next to him. Sharp features. Dark hair. Quite attractive. Not exactly beautiful. But a strength in her face that makes her stand out.

Taken From:The ROAD TO WEALTH

“I’ll review her application,” answered Dr. Lee.
Dr. Lee’s specific assignment, which he took very seriously, had been to design a screening process that would weed out the dreamers from the doers—the go-getters who would surmount any obstacle to get
the job done.

“I’m really miffed,” Dr. Lee said. “I must have met fifteen people at the unemployment office yesterday who promised they’d be here.” I pointed out a couple of likely candidates I had met that morning. One was an All-American high school basketball player sitting near the front with his fiancée. He had shown a lot of initiative by buying my book and staying up all night to read it. Sitting near him was another young black fellow who was short on experience but long on enthusiasm. I felt I could work with him.

“We don’t want to pick the All-American boy,” Dr. Lee advised. “Picking the strongest person defeats the purpose of the Challenge.” “Make up your mind,” I joked. “First, you’re worried that we don’t have enough people to choose from, and then you tell me not to pick the strongest one.”

We all laughed. It was about 9:45. Dr. Lee returned to the podium to announce that I would collect the completed applications at the rear of the room. I looked each person squarely in the eye as, one by one, they handed in their applications. If the person returned my gaze with a look of desire and determination, I placed the application in my right hand. These were the ones whose names would be posted on the list at 11:00 A.M. When all applications were turned in, we counted twenty applications for further consideration. I left my assistants to narrow this group down to six or eight for my interviews that evening.

Taken From:The ROAD TO WEALTH

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