SOLES TO SOULS
December 1, 2024
I have been blessed to have experienced many special moments in my life. I was alone for many of these moments but I am more than thankful for the times there was someone with me. I was once told that the richest farmland is the land where the farmer’s boot print is found. I remember learning the importance of wandering around and being with people, just like Jesus did, early in my business career. Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher and his assistant, Colleen Barrett, both told me to “be with your people when they celebrate and when they hurt” and to just “be there for them.” Over my career, I have worn out countless pairs of Lucchese cowboy boots traveling to sites where our employees worked and hopefully, I left a little leather sole and heart felt soul in each place I visited.
Many years ago, I decided that I needed a pair of boots that reflected who I am or at least who I was trying to be. The Puerto Rican designer in me created a pair of overpriced Lucchese alligator skin boots that have the United States flag on the front of each boot shaft and the King Aerospace gold wings on the back. I wore the boots to what my wife Barbara and I considered a once in a lifetime event, President George W. Bush’s final State of the Union speech. I thought it was only appropriate to wear my Texas made boots from a boot maker founded in my hometown of San Antonio, Texas in 1883 that had two symbols special to me to hear a President from Texas sharing his message. That was the first and only time that I ever wore the boots until recently. They have lived in a glass curio cabinet in my King Aerospace office for many years.
Recently, I had an occasion to wear the boots a second time. Barbara and I were invited to attend a special Sunday worship service and “A Celebration and Rededication of the Historic 1822 Bell Tower” at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., known as “The President’s Church.” This church is one of my favorite places in the world. It is across the street from my peaceful “quiet place,” the Hay-Adams Hotel. Both are directly across the street from the White House. Thankfully the boots still fit! The services were heartfelt and we learned at the rededication service that the bells were made by a company founded by Paul Revere! We also learned that church bells served as all sorts of signals. They were used to announce the start of a service, they were used as fire alarms and they rang at funerals to honor the deceased. Often the bell ropes were left exposed so the bells could be used as an emergency warning device available to anyone. For both services, Barbara and I were humbly honored to be able to sit in row thirty, where there is a small brass plaque that reads “Jerry and Barbara King-Echevarria in Service to God, Country and Family.” One of the highlights of my life was being able to support and attend the dedication of this historic bell tower. The tower’s gold leaf dome serves as a reminder to me that my boot soles and soul are tied together.
My greatest challenge at this special event was fighting back my heartfelt tears of happiness. May there be a lesson for the next generation that those who have come before us have paid the price in service to God, Country and Family with their actions and convictions. The words from one of the hymns sung on this most special and memorable Sunday sum things up for me:
EPISCOPAL HYMNAL
HYMN 655: O JESUS, I HAVE PROMISED
O Jesus, I have promised to serve thee to the end;
be thou forever near me, my Master and my friend;
I shall not fear the battle, if thou art by my side,
nor wander from the pathway, if thou wilt be my guide.
O let me hear thee speaking in accent clear and still,
above the storms of passion, the murmurs of self- will,
O speak to reassure me, to hasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen, thou guardian of my soul.
O Jesus, thou hast promised to all who follow thee,
that where thou art in glory, there shall thy servant be;
and, Jesus, I have promised to serve thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow, my Master and my friend.
Let “Freedom Ring” as we strive to come together more than ever as a great nation in service to make a positive difference in the lives of those we serve and those we encounter!
Written by KING AEROSPACE Founder, Jerry Allan King-Echevarria.