b'CALVINBOWMAN Roofer Extraordinary I \'MSTARTINGonmy44thyear Calsmilesas hecontinues to rem start laying off people.They laid off withthesamecompany.Now,inisce.everybodybutthebookkeeperand youjustlookaroundandseehow"PrettysoonIwaspromotedtome.CharleyGray,thebookkeeper, many men you can find that can maketruckdriver.Thenin Novembertheandme - thatwasit. astatementlikethat."Thespeakerfellow who was shipping clerk - Har "Mr.Graywasquiteaman.He is Calvin Bowman, president of Stand ry Smith, his name was - told me heusedtoworkasarooferhimself. ardRoofingCo.,OklahomaCity.wasgoingtoleavethecompanytoLearned the trade from a man named "Forty-fouryears!Seems like yester workforanotherfirm.He saidthatMcFarland who went to work for the day!I guess that shows I really haveIshouldgetbisjob.Now,atthatcompanywayback.McFarlandwas liked my workall along."timethecompanyalsosoldcoal,reallyamastercraftsman." Wellknownintheindustry,Caland I\'d been hauling coal all day long.CalBowmanknowsthehistoryof BowmanhasbeenactiveintheNa I was black as theace of spades.Sobiscompanywellandenjoystalking tionalRoofingContractors\'Associa I was standing out back near the bigaboutitsbeginnings. tionaswellasinlocalandregionaloldcoalstovetryingtoworkup"The firm started in 1889 - James associations,and hasserved as presi nerve togoin to ask Mr.GrayforI. Graywasfounder.Hecametodentandasdirectorofthe Midwesttheshippingclerk\'sjob.JustthenOklahomafromKansasCity.JamesRoofingContractorsAssociation,justPhil Marshall, who was sales managerI. Grayhadfivesons,andallfiveto name a few offices held.for the firm,came backand saw me.weresmartbusinessmen.DickGrayWit.\'1somanyyearsinthebusi "\'Whatareyoustanding outherewastheoldest,thenCharles,John,ness,Calhasawealthofstoriesoffor,Cal?\'heasked.Jim, and Herb.They\'re all dead nowroofingmenand jobs overtheyears."I told him about Harry Smith leav exceptforJohnandHerb.CharlesHisfirmhasbeenespeciallyactiveingandthatIwastryingtogetupGray died just last year, 82 years old.inOklahoma,Texas,andnearbyenoughnervetogoinandaskMr.CharlesGrayhadoneson,andthestates,buttheyhavealsodoneworkGrayforthejob.othersbadsons,too,butoddlynoneas far away as Washington, D. C., and"\'Well,\'besaid,\'youjustmarchoftheir sons arein the business.Maine.right in there andact like you\'re just"JamesI.Graymadeallhissons "I got started with the company inas big asbe is and tellhimyou wantwork,rightoutontheroofs.The 1928.Backthen,CharleyGraywasthatjob.\'summer that Charles Gary was a junpresident.He was a son of the firm\'s"AndthatisexactlywhatIdid,ior inhighschool,about aweek befounder.MydadandIknewthesooty anddirtyasIwas!foreschoolwasofficiallyout - they companybecausetheysoldmaterial"Mr.Graylookedatmeand said,were waiting for their report cards -suppliesthenbesidesdoingroofing.\'Youthinkyoucanhandlethejob?\'JamesI.GraysentCharlesoutof My dad was a cement contractor,and"Ianswered,\'IknowIcan.\'towntoWestOklahomaandNorth heusedtobuyallhissuppliesfrom"He didn\'task any morequestionsTexas.Hedidn\'tgetbacktoOklaMr.Gray.- just handed me a fountain pen and homaCityuntilaweekafterschool "Well, my dad had moved to Flor toldmetowriteout\'StandardMa hadstarted. idaduringthelandrushdownthere.terialandRoofingCompany.\'He "GraduallytheGraybrothersexSeemedlikehewasoneofthosewantedtoseehowlegibleahandI pandedtheirbusiness.Theyowned who weren\'tquickenoughtogetouthad.Afterbereadit,hetoldme Standard Material & Roofing in OklaofFloridaintime.Hewentbroke.tobedowntowork inthemorning homaCity,StandardPavingComSo we just moved back toOklahomaat 7: 00 - \'withdifferentclotheson.\' pany ofOklahoma and of Texas, and City.That\'swhenIwentoutand"SoIgotthejob.Iwasjust18AcmeMaterialCompanyofOklaasked CharleyGrayfor ajob - Jan yearsoldthen.homa.Adifferentbrotherraneach uary1928."Later I spent two years on the or company.But in 1955 they were get"IknownowthatCharleyGrayderdeskandthengottobea sales tingupinyears - Dickhadalready didn\'tneedmeanymorethanheman in 1931.I traveled all over west died - so they decided to s outto ell needed another thumb.But he knewernOklahoma.Those_ days,asales the Mertzes. The Mertzes didn\'t really thatIneededthework,sohemademanlefttownonMondaymorningwanttobuyStandardMaterial& aplaceforme.Istartedworkinganddidn\'tcomebackuntilSaturdayRoofing,buttheGraysinsistedthey forthecompanyasaflunkyoutinafternoon.Weusedtokeepfivewouldn\'tse11thepavingcompanies the yardat 25 centsan hour.Thatcrews ofroofers working in the west withoutStandardRoofing.Sothe was myfirst job with Standard Roofernpartofthestate - rightuptoMertzesboughtthecompany,andI ingandI\'mpresidentofthefirmthedepression.Then,whenthede went along as vice president and gen-now."pression came along, they just hadto/Continuedonpage21) 20OCTOBER,1971'