McPherson believes in service above self

By Doris Wedge

From his home atop a hill southwest of town, Gene McPherson can point out landmarks in the town that has been home to him and his family for 65 of his 84 years.

He opened the John Deere implement dealership in Norman in the early 1950s, a young man who had already realized that he would do best if he put the needs of others, like the farmers that needed good implements, before his own.

McPherson's approach to business exemplifies the "Service Above Self" motto of Rotary, McPherson says, pointing out that he holds the longest standing membership in the Norman Rotary Club, having been an active member for 53 years.

He addressed the club recently, relating the story of the business he developed and roles he has played in the development of the Norman community. In later years, he played a key role in the development of the Town of Goldsby.

McPherson grew up on a farm near Woody Chapel west of Purcell. He recalls the hard work of picking cotton, milking cows and tilling the land with horses and mules. "Times were pretty hard. Funds were scarce," he says, recalling that his father bought his first tractor in 1939.

Soon after graduation from high school, McPherson left for the Army, and served for a time in the Philippines cooking for officers at a POW camp for Japanese prisoners. Returning home at the end of the war, he says "I had a family, and I needed a job."

He was working at a filling station pumping gas when he heard that the John Deere dealership in Purcell was looking for a "parts boy." McPherson got the job, qualifying for a GI program which helped pay his salary. Before long the owner asked him to manage the store.

It was in the early 1950s that the John Deere management asked the owner to consider opening a dealership in Norman.

"Mr. Dobbins and I came up and looked around," McPherson says. He was hoping that he would get to manage the new store and he recalls being crestfallen "when Mr. Dobbins said that he wasn't interested in risking his successful business to launch another dealership."

Not one to give up, McPherson, who hadn't yet seen his 30th birthday but had proven himself as a good businessman, approached one of his customers about starting the Norman dealership.

"I was delivering a baler and I asked him if he was interesting in helping a guy get into business," he said. The question didn't meet with a positive response initially, but after more discussion and study, the man agreed to go halves with McPherson to open the Norman John Deere store.

"We needed $20,000. He had $10,000 and I borrowed my half," McPherson said. The store opened and before long he had more customers than he could handle in a small building on 24th street near Lindsey.

"We just had enough room to get one tractor inside," he recalls. But the farmers came, and many of them were his former customers in Purcell. "I was driving to Oklahoma City for parts every day ... sometimes several times a day."

When his partner wanted out of the business, McPherson had the support of the John Deere company to buy his share and become full owner. "They were backing me up all the way," he said.

He built a larger building, this time on West Main where Golden Corral is now located. The implement store and service department remained there for several years as Norman continued to develop to the west and I-35 was built.

He built a still bigger store, this time at the intersection of West Main and 36th. He bought out a machine shop and built a building next door to house it, a business the family still owns and operates south of town.

Somewhere along the way, the owner of the Purcell store, McPherson's former employer, wanted out of the implement business, and McPherson purchased that store as well

While McPherson will introduce himself as an implement dealer, in the back of his mind he always thought of himself as a farmer. In fact, over the years he purchased several farms, and he gives his real estate ventures credit for his current status of being able to finance the education of his 15 grandchildren who he calls "a wonderful bunch of youngsters."

McPherson's interest in service wasn't limited to farmers and implements. He is proud of the assistance that he and his wife were able to provide Norman Regional Hospital. In the late 1970s, he was in the hospital with back problems and noted that the nurse was at the foot of the bed turning a crank to raise the head of the bed. "Don't you have electric beds here," he asked. He was told that the hospital couldn't afford to purchase electric beds for that wing.

"How much does one cost?" he asked Dick Luttrell, hospital administrator. Told that one would be about $700 and they needed five for that unit, McPherson and his wife happily funded the purchase of the beds.

Later, when he was told that the hospital wanted to lure an ophthalmologist to Norman, but they didn't have the surgical equipment the physician would need, the McPhersons again stepped up to help the hospital and the community.

He served on the boards of the Red Cross and Cleveland County YMCA during significant periods of growth and development. He helped raise money for a trip to Romania by the Norman High Orchestra. He and his wife accompanied the group for a memorable trip. He has also helped local school FFA and Vocational Agriculture programs.

In the late 1970s, the McPhersons built a home in the Goldsby community, and he promptly got involved in the development of the services needed to help it grow. He served for several years on various boards and even as mayor. Among the accomplishments were the formation of a volunteer fire department and the development of water resources for the town. The Goldsby Airport, used in the 1940s for training Naval pilots, has grown to houses 60 privately owned planes "and there is a waiting list."

The town honored him in December 1999 by designating Gene McPherson Week in recognition of his service to Goldsby.

All of these things, he says, along with many other philanthropies he continues to be a part of, are examples of the "Service Above Self" Rotary motto that he adopted as his personal model of living. But he adds another credit line.

"All of this couldn't have happened without Sylvia," McPherson says of his wife of 65 years and mother of their six children. "She was always home keeping the fire burning while I was selling tractors, farming and working in the community." While she is no longer able to fully enjoy the family and their accomplishments, she still is a guiding light for McPherson, still encouraging him to "not be late for church."

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