Commentary

February 22th, 2007

The Torch Passes
by lyle e. davis

One of the great things about running a newspaper is . . you get to meet truly great people.

Eight years ago, when we bought this newspaper, one of the first advertisers who agreed to support this new weekly, The Paper, was Jack King and his wife, Cindy, owners of King’s Carpets. They stayed with us for years . . . both as clients and as friends.

It saddened me to learn about six months ago that Jack had come down with a very rare disease; a disease that was terminal and there was not only no known cure but little was known as to how to treat it.

It was a painful and debilitating disease. Jack and Cindy had worked out religiously, had eaten the right foods, and gotten their bodies into great shape. In fact, it was probably because Jack was in such good shape that he lasted as long as he did.

I just learned that Jack passed away recently. As soon as I learned of his passing I met with Cindy to offer my condolences and to relive some of the great memories of Jack and his life.

Just one of the many things I loved about the way Jack and Cindy ran King’s Carpets was that you always knew what they told you was the absolute truth, even when and if it was painful for them. They didn’t tell you what you wanted to hear, they told you what you needed to hear . . . professional advice. They did it in a most polite, but firm, way. If they couldn’t do the job right . . . they’d just as soon not do it at all.

This reputation for truth, honesty, integrity, and reliability was the key to their success. I meet a lot of people in this business and it was refreshing to see even the competitors of King’s Carpets had nothing but good things to say about Jack and Cindy. All these other hard-nosed, and highly competitive, businessmen and women took their hats off to Jack and Cindy.

Because of this hard-earned reputation it was important to Cindy that whomever she sold the business to had a similar business philosophy . . . one that would perpetuate the reputation . . . one that would ensure that the long time clients, as well as newer clients, of King’s Carpets would be assured of the same wonderful treatment they received at the hands of King’s Carpets.

Enter Mark McDonald. Cindy opted to sell King’s Carpets to a fine man, Mark McDonald, a very successful carpet and flooring dealer with locations in La Mesa and Mira Mesa and, now, in San Marcos. Not only does Mark have solid credentials as a brilliant force in carpeting and other flooring, but he has also followed the same basic principles that the King’s had. As it had worked for the King’s so it had also worked for Mark McDonald’s carpeting stores.

Additionally, Mark is very community oriented. The Paper’s Evelyn Madison had known of Mark McDonald for some time. She had served both as president of her Hidden Valley Kiwanis Club of Escondido, (twice) as well as Lieutenant Governor of Division 37. He had served as Lieutenant Governor for one of the San Diego Divisions of Kiwanis; later he was Governor for California-Nevada-Hawaii-District of Kiwanis International.

He is a court certified expert in flooring . . .proof that he knows his stuff.

He, like the King’s, worked hard for his reputation as a fair, honest, responsible expert in carpeting and flooring.

Cindy is very comfortable, knowing her business has passed into good hands . . . hands that will run the business with the same care and affection she and Jack devoted.

As soon as Cindy sells her North County home she plans on moving to Big Bear to begin life anew. There are just too many memories of the many years she and Jack spent together in that big beautiful house.

So, it’s time to tip our hat to Jack King . . . and bid him farewell . . . with thanks for a great friendship and a hope for eternal peaceful rest . . . and it’s time to keep Cindy King in our hearts and minds . . . and hope that her future holds brighter dreams and many tomorrows.

And to Mark McDonald?

Welcome, my friend. You’ve come into a lovely business community . . . you’ve made a brilliant decision in buying King’s Carpets . . . and your new store name . . . California Scene Interiors, I predict will become not only well known but a highly respected name by customer and competitor alike.

Like I said at the opening of this commentary, one of the benefits of this business is meeting and knowing good people. Really good people.