A father's footsteps
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on June 21, 2015 3:29 PM
Wayne County sons learn about business from their fathers — and how to be the best person they can be.
Fathers and sons are usually best friends. They both learn from each other. They count on each other through the bad times and celebrate their bond during the good times. And they make memories that will last a lifetime.
Three sets of fathers and sons in Wayne County have even more of a bond because they are in the family business together. Dr. George R. Silver Jr. and Dr. George Silver Sr. work side by side taking care of animals at Wayne Veterinary Hospital. But it didn’t start out that way.
“I actually was going to anything but be a vet because I saw how hard he (his father) worked and thought there was something I could do different,” George Jr. said.
“I went to Campbell with the idea of pursuing pharmacy school. I worked in the emergency room for a little more than 3 years as an assistant transporter, thinking I wanted to be an ER physician or possibly a pediatrician. But with both human medicine and the pharmacy, I didn’t get the same reward that I saw with the veterinary field.”
So in his third year at college, he decided to pursue veterinary medicine.
George Jr. grew up in his father’s practice, cleaning cages when he was in the third grade because his dad didn’t want him sitting home all summer long doing nothing.
The 37-year-old George Jr. said being a vet offered more rewards to him than any other field.
“There’s a lot of problem solving involved in veterinary medicine because your patients can’t talk,” he said. “And you’re still getting to practice medicine. And it gave me the ability to be a business owner, which is also something I’ve always had a little bit of an interest in.”
George Sr. was supportive of his son, no matter what field he wanted to go into.
“It’s been good to work together with him,” he said of his son.
“At work, I call him Dr. Silver most of the time. We interact as colleagues; we’re on the same level, collaboratively doing what’s best for our patients. It’s good to have a doctor who’s as enthusiastic and as interested as me.”
“I call him doc at work,” George Jr. said. “At home, he’s dad.
“He has a work ethic almost like nobody else I’ve ever seen. No matter how time consuming or difficult or bad it is, he’s going to get it done.”
And the father has instilled in his son personal values that will last a lifetime.
“On more than one occasion, I told people if it wasn’t for my dad jerking a knot in my head when I deserved it, I would not be standing on this side of the operating table wearing this lab coat,” George Jr. said.
“He’s also very loving. But you can’t be coddled all the time. If your child does something wrong, he needs to realize that actions have consequences.”
And the son has taught the father something.
“He’s done a much better job of managing the computer system in this information age,” George Sr., 61, said.
“We’re much more automated, and it’s helped us to practice better medicine. His expertise in the information age has been a very big part of the practice that is probably one of my weaknesses.
Over the years, the father/son vets have made memories they will treasure forever.
“The first time I went skiing, it was one of those things where we got on the bus at 2 in the morning,” George Sr. said.
“I was in third or fourth grade. He carried me out to the church parking lot to get on the 50-passenger bus. And it was cold. And my dad was the only one standing out there waving when the bus took off.
“Years later, when he found out I graduated with honors from high school, without even telling me, he booked airfare and a hotel to the Bahamas, just the two of us, to celebrate my graduation.”
George Sr. has special memories of his son, too.
“I was a paratrooper in the Army, and I can remember him as a young boy jumping off the dog house pretending he was a paratrooper,” George Sr. said.
“It was a big doghouse. You know you have some influence on your child even though you don’t realize you do. And I never talked about being a paratrooper.”
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Andrew Jernigan knew from the time he was 8 years old that he wanted to go into the family business — Jernigan Furniture.
But it didn’t happen until a few years after he graduated from college.
“I actually tried to come back immediately after college,” the 32year-old said.
“I asked my dad if I could come back and he told me no. That was one of the best things he ever told me.
“He said if I want to come back and take over the business, he hoped I would. He said I needed to go out and find another job and do something different and live somewhere else. Then if I decided I wanted to be in the business, I could come back and never have any regrets.”
So, after college, Andrew moved to Washington D.C. where he was a business consultant.
“One day I got a call and my father told me that our store manager was retired and asked me if I wanted the job,” Andrew said.
Sam was very proud the day his son walked through the doors to join the family business that his father started, which has been open since 1924.
“I was very humbled to think my son would want to take over the business,” the 66-year-old Sam said.
“Andrew’s the next generation. He’s got lots of energy, enthusiasm and new ideas. I couldn’t be more proud.”
And Andrew’s taught his father some things in the 10 years he’s been at the store. “He’s taught me that you can’t sit on your laurels and hope that if it’s worked for all those years it will continue to work,” Sam said.
“He’s taught me you do have to evolve and change.”
Andrew’s also learned a lot from his father.
“Coming back into the business, I thought I knew everything,” Andrew said.
“Every year I realize that I’m dumber and he’s smarter and wiser.
“He has taught me how to truly be kind and compassionate and have love for our customers and make sure it’s genuine. He’s also taught me so much about being a better person.”
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Once Woodard Jackson’s sons were old enough to enter the workforce, it was only natural that they went into the family business — Jackson and Sons Heating and Air Conditioning.
After all, they had grown up working there during summers during their school years.
“I knew they were coming into the business,” the 78-year-old Woodard said. “It feels good
they’re in the business with me.”
And each of his sons brought some things to the business to help it grow.
“And I let them implement their ideas,” Woodard, who retired from the business 10 years ago, said. “They’ve done a lot of things over the years to make me proud of them.”
All four Jackson sons said their dad taught them a lot over the years, too.
“Dad taught me that taking care of the customer is always first,” said 54-year-old David.
“Dad and Mom were both instrumental in instilling some core values of honesty, integrity and a good work ethic in me.”
David said at home, his dad was firm and tough, but loving.
Danny, 55, said the biggest thing his dad taught him professionally was the importance of doing a job and doing it right.
“And Mom and Dad from an early age taught me responsibility and accountability,” he said.
“When I was young and in high school, I made some bad choices and got in trouble, but Mom and Dad were there to support me. But they also held me accountable for my decisions. Those were some tough times, but because of that, it made me a better person.”
Danny said his dad was a great mentor and role model for him and his brothers.
“Dad was a good parent, a very loving parent, but also a disciplinarian. He held us boys to a really high standard and expected a lot out of us. Itwasonlytomakeusa better person. I really thank him for that.” Danny said he raised his daughters like he was raised. “I tried to teach them what Dad taught me,” he said.
Craig went into the family business right out of college.
But medical problems in later years forced him to sell his part of the business to his brothers.
However, he’s still very much a part of Jackson and Sons, doing consulting work when he’s needed.
The 49-year-old said his dad taught him to be honest and treat everyone the way he wanted to be treated.
“Personally, he taught me to be a good father and a good husband and put family first in all situations,” Craig said.
“And he taught me to always take time for family.”