A Different Era

There is a tendency to modernize our characters, to make all of them, whether 2 or 102, conform to our modern prejudices and viewpoints. Part of the trouble with this approach is that some of the greatest characters belong to a different era. Separated from their time and place, it is hard to appreciate them for who and what they are.
Vic Diffee is one such person to me. If I forced him into modernity, I am not sure he would fit. Vic grew up with the great American highways, a car guy from an early age. He started selling cars out of his dad's motel parking lot on Route 66 in Bethany, Oklahoma, way back in 1954. His dad seeing his hard work and that this was no passing fancy for him helped him acquire an actual lot the next year. Vic didn't belong to any particular brand, but loved all cars, often driving around all the different vehicles he stocked.
Later in life, he acquired a Ford Lincoln and Mercury dealership, though part of that was a concession from Lincoln that Vic was already selling more town cars than their established franchises. (In that aspect, Vic was part pirate, part shrewd businessman. I've heard stories about how he got his town cars and continentals even without the franchise.)
He is generous to a fault. If he wasn't giving to charity, he would give any man a chance to earn his paycheck, whether it was checking gas, mats, and oil on his cars or selling them. If he was a more vain man, I suspect most charities in Oklahoma City would have at least one wing named after him. But taking the credit was never part of Vic's plan. He just enjoyed playing around with cars and felt grateful to have made money while doing it.
His family life has been strained at times, I think in part because, like so many men of his era, he is stoic, not sharing what is on his heart with those around him. He is used to being in charge and those who work closely with him learn to read his signals. For example, he ends most discussions by thanking the other person for their time: It is useless to try to continue the conversation beyond that thank you.
But he is a vital character for me in understanding what a complete life successfully devoted to a passionate career looks like. He has taught me the importance of doing what I love doing. I remember taking him to the pharmacy on the day he had all of his teeth removed for pain medication: he sold the pharmacist a Lincoln while picking up his script. I also remember how polite he was to everyone: the cashier and the janitor were the pharmacist's equal to Vic.
As always, you can comment on the blog posts of this series for a chance to win an autographed copy of Frostbite.