His Best Advice: Live Life to the Fullest
Gary Specketer (Acad. ‘64, JC ‘66) may have the analytical mind of a scientist, but he has the risk-taking heart of an entrepreneur and the spirit of a man willing to take a leap of faith and build his wings on the way down.
Specketer began his career as a research technician in the Chemical Division at General Mills (Thank Gary the next time you’re poolside with the kids … swim diaper technology was one of his patents for General Mills!).
Science was his chosen path, but a bum knee turned his career in a different direction.
While recovering from knee surgery in the early 1970s, Specketer had a physical therapy appointment with the trainer for the Minnesota Vikings football team, but the session ended abruptly when the PT table broke. “I can build you a table that will stand up to the Vikes,” said Specketer, who was a woodworking hobbyist.
It turned out to be the first of many tables he would build, along with a new company, S&W Enterprises. Orders came from the NFL, NBA and NHL, college sports teams, and hospitals and clinics, all while he worked out of his garage.
When General Mills sold its Chemical Division to Henkel Corporation, Specketer faced a dilemma – accept Henkel’s offer for a V.P. position or quit to pursue his rapidly growing business.
He took a leap of faith and chose the latter. S&W Enterprises eventually outgrew his garage into a 30,000 square foot manufacturing facility with 43 employees.
A decade later, business was good and Specketer was looking for a new challenge. By chance he spotted a magazine article about home-built airplanes. This time, Specketer’s garage became an airplane factory where he meticulously pieced together his first airplane. Today, he’s working on his fourth.
The real excitement, he said, comes with the test flight (after FAA inspection). He takes every safety precaution, but it’s still a leap of faith.
“You fly it for air worthiness, and if you survive, you did it right,” Specketer said.
With abundant business success, a happy marriage of 35 years, healthy children and stimulating hobbies, Specketer was flying high. But, life can change in the blink of an eye.
In 2001, his wife and best friend, Eileen, died of a brain tumor. Reeling from the pain of his loss, he found a grief recovery website where we could express his feelings of anger, heartbreak and confusion with others experiencing similar losses.
Brenda Roberts found the same recovery website after the death of her husband of 30 years. She had never previously written to anyone from the online grief group, but when she read Specketer’s anguished postings, she was moved to help.
From that first email, a friendship grew that soon deepened to love. They felt they should be together.
However, they lived far from one another - she in Georgia, he in Minnesota - and they were breaking the “grief rules” about forming a new relationship too soon.
They went to their individual pastors for guidance and, with their blessings, Gary once again made a leap of faith - with Brenda by his side. Now, after five years of marriage they realize life is short, and each day together is a blessing.
“God has blessed me in so many ways,” Specketer said. “It’s easy to get prideful, but I’m only successful and enjoying life today because God has blessed me.”
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