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	T. BOONE PICKENS, JR. MESA FITNESS AWARDS BANQUET July 23, 1982

1. RECOGNIZE MESA EMPLOYEES FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO START A FITNESS PROGRAM AND TO MAINTAIN A CONSISTENT LEVEL OF ACTIVITY.

2. RECOGNIZE LARRY GETTMAN, GAINES GODFREY AND OTHERS WHO HAVE WORKED ON THE FIRST MESA FITNESS AWARDS BANQUET.

3. COMMENT ON WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN ASKED TO ADDRESS - "MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY ABOUT FITNESS."
a) PREACHING TO THE CHOIR

4. THE ROLE FITNESS HAS PLAYED IN MY LIFE
a) I'M NO FITNESS NUT...HATE TO RUN
b) BUT SPORTS—ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES—AND STAYING FIT HAVE BEEN IMPORTANT TO ME DURING MOST OF MY LIFE.
c) PLAYED BASKETBALL IN HIGH SCHOOL—COLLEGE—AND CITY LEAGUE UNTIL I WAS 35 YEARS OLD.
d) REASONS WHY I GOT INVOLVED IN ATHLETICS AND FITNESS
1) IT WAS FUN—I ENJOYED IT.
2) GOT ENCOURAGEMENT FROM FAMILY, TEACHERS AND COACHES AND FROM PEERS.
3) ENJOYED THE DISCIPLINE IT IMPOSED ON ME.
4) BUT MOST OF ALL—I ENJOYED THE COMPETITION—I LOVE A CHALLENGE—I LOVE TO WIN AND HATE TO LOSE...MOST OF YOU KNOW THIS WELL.
e) INFLUENCED EARLY IN LIFE BY LOU BOUDREAU
1) VERSATILE ATHLETE IN BASKETBALL AND BASEBALL.
2) DIDN'T HAVE THE PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES TO BE A GREAT ATHLETE.
3) HOWEVER—HE HAD THE DESIRE TO EXCEL—TO COMPETE—TO DO WHAT IT TOOK TO WIN.
4) CLUTCH PLAYER WHO ALWAYS CAME THROUGH WHEN IT COUNTED.
f) THE ENJOYMENT AND FULFILLMENT I RECEIVED FROM ATHLETICS AS A YOUNG MAN, HELPED ME—AND PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN SHAPING MY BUSINESS PRACTICES.

5. HOWEVER, LIKE MANY PEOPLE—THERE WAS A TIME—AGE 35-45 - WHEN I BECAME INACTIVE. ASIDE FROM GOLF AND HUNTING, I PARTICIPATED LITTLE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. I HAD SOMETHING GOING FOR ME THOUGH
a) I DIDN'T SMOKE.
b) WOULD ONLY HAVE AN OCCASIONAL DRINK.
c) WAS CONSCIOUS OF WEIGHT AND NUTRITION.
d) NEVER HAD A BLOOD PRESSURE PROBLEM—OR ANY OTHER MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEM.

6. MY EYES WERE OPENED IN 1972 WHEN JACK FUQUA INVITED ME TO PLAY RACQUETBALL WITH HIM AT THE YMCA.
a) NEVER PLAYED RACQUETBALL BEFORE.
b) ACCEPTED THE CHALLENGE KNOWING THAT I HAD MORE ATHLETIC ABILITY THAN JACK.
c) HE SOUNDLY DEFEATED ME—21-2
d) HE SUGGESTED WE STOP BECAUSE IT LOOKED LIKE I WAS GOING TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK.
e) HUFFING—PUFFING—MOST HUMILIATING EXPERIENCE IN MY LIFE!
f) JACK MADE ME PAINFULLY AWARE THAT I HAD SLIPPED—THAT I WAS IN MISERABLE CONDITION.
g) JACK TAUGHT ME THIS LESSON ON PURPOSE—BECAUSE HE WAS A FRIEND AND CARED ABOUT MY WELFARE.
h) BECAUSE OF MY COMPETITIVE NATURE, I DECIDED TO START WORKING OUT—TO GET BACK INTO SHAPE SO THAT I COULD BEAT JACK AT RACQUETBALL.
i) I ALMOST OVERDID IT—MUSCLE TEARS—SORE FEET—BUT I GOT IN SHAPE—AND WAS GRATEFUL TO JACK FOR TEACHING ME THE LESSON.

7. BECAUSE OF THIS EXPERIENCE, I WANTED TO INFLUENCE OTHERS...TO HAVE THEM BENEFIT FROM MY LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
a) THIS IS WHEN MESA STARTED PROVIDING MEMBERSHIPS AT Y'S - LOW-KEY APPROACH—IT WAS THERE FOR THOSE WHO WANTED TO PARTICIPATE.
b) THE PROGRAM GREW—WE DECIDED TO DEVELOP OUR OWN FITNESS FACILITY AND TO BUILD A PROGRAM.

8. UNLIKE MANY CEO'S, I DIDN'T START A FITNESS PROGRAM BECAUSE I HAD A HEALTH PROBLEM—I WANTED OTHERS TO BENEFIT FROM MY EXPERIENCE.

9. I BELIEVE THAT QUALITY OF LIFE IS SOMETHING EACH OF US HAS CONTROL OVER—WHILE WE ALL WANT TO LIVE A LONG LIFE, IT IS NOT WORTH IT TO US IF WE CAN'T ENJOY IT.
a) PHYSICAL FITNESS IS SOMETHING WE ALL CAN STRIVE FOR THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE.

10. I WAS WITH A GROUP OF 12 CEO'S RECENTLY—RANGING IN AGE FROM 43 TO 71.
a) THERE WERE ONLY 2-3 IN THIS GROUP THAT COULD RUN TWO MILES—AND ONE OF THEM WAS THE 71 YEAR OLD.
b) MOST WERE OVERWEIGHT, SMOKED AND DRANK EXCESSIVELY.
c) I COULDN'T HELP BUT WONDER WHAT THIS SAME GROUP WOULD LOOK LIKE IN 5 YEARS.
d) MANY IN THIS GROUP WERE SYMBOLIC OF WHAT AFFLUENCE USED TO MEAN—ONE COULD EAT, DRINK, SMOKE—HAVE AN EXCESSIVE LIFE STYLE—BUT AFFLUENCE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THIS TODAY.
e) BETTY RUSSELL'S SON COMMENTED THAT I COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE THE PRESIDENT OF MESA BECAUSE I WAS NOT BALD, I WASN'T FAT AND I DIDN'T SMOKE A BIG CIGAR.

11. I BELIEVE THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT BENEFIT THAT ANY EMPLOYEE CAN RECEIVE IS GOOD HEALTH—TO BE PHYSICALLY FIT SO THAT HE CAN FULLY ENJOY LIFE.
a) NO COMPANY CAN GIVE AN EMPLOYEE THIS.
b) EACH INDIVIDUAL MUST ACQUIRE IT FOR HIMSELF.
c) WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS TO PROVIDE OUR EMPLOYEES THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME PHYSICALLY FIT AND ENJOY A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGH THE BENEFITS OFFERED BY OUR FITNESS PROGRAM.
d) I DON'T THINK ANYTHING IS MORE DISHEARTENING THAN TO WORK HARD TOWARD RETIREMENT—ONLY TO BE FACED WITH BAD HEALTH.
e) (IRONY OF INTERNATIONAL HARVESTOR FORMER PRESIDENT).

12. YOU WHO ARE ASSEMBLED HERE TONIGHT FOR THIS FIRST MESA FITNESS AWARDS BANQUET HAVE CHOSEN TO APPLY YOURSELF—TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE—AND TO RECEIVE THE FULL BENEFITS OF A FITNESS PROGRAM. YOU ARE EACH SHINING EXAMPLES OF THE BENEFITS OF A FITNESS PROGRAM.

13. IT IS TRULY FULFILLING TO ME TO KNOW THAT I HAVE HAD SOME INFLUENCE ON THIS PROGRAM AND TO SEE OTHERS BENEFIT FROM MY LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT THE MERCY OF JACK FUQUA IN 1972.