From: Jim Chesky,
Sent: September 8, 2006
To: Ann Grackin
Subject: Sitting on a beach in Hawaii with Malcom McLean


Ann,

I read the interview you had with Marc Levinson, author of The Box.
When I was a younger man living on the island of Kauai, I had a chance to
attend a Rotary lunch where the speaker was Malcom McLean.
McLean talked about the time when, during WWII when he was sitting on a beach in Hawaii, how he thought that would be a great place for a hotel.

That day we looked at what he said somewhat quizzically. It seemed like a sort of a “Well, Duh!” kind of statement. However, when he discussed his vision in his march to create SeaLand, he spoke of the first time he used a ramp to drive loaded trailers onto the deck of a tanker ship leaving New Jersey, bound for Houston. He said everyone said that was the strangest looking site they had seen, and did he think that would work? Today we would say; “Well, Duh!”

Perhaps the best part of a visionary is the part of him that sees past the status quo and says; “Well, Duh!” way before the rest of us get it.

I’d say, enjoy Bermuda, but you might reply; “Well, Duh!”

Jim Chesky | Sprint Solutions Consultant | [mailto:James.Chesky@Sprint.com]