The author, John Marek, is executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership.
It’s that time of year when the aisles of retail stores are filled with pens, pencils, notebooks and crayons. Back-to-school shopping was always a big deal for my family. Late-summer, we would make the 20-minute drive to the nearest “big town,” Sandusky, and stock up on all the necessities for the coming year.
In those days, schools didn’t require an extensive list of supplies; a couple of pencils, some paper, a few folders and maybe some glue and water color paint. And, of course, school clothes.
For the first 11 years of my education, I more or less wore what was bought for me, although I had a little bit of input the final year or two of that run. Heading into my senior year of high school, though, I had a job, I had a car and I was dang well going to pick out my own clothes.
Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. For the all-important first day of school, I bought a yellow T-shirt with the catchy phrase “MY TAKE HOME PAY WON’T FILL MY TANK” spelled out in green letters within the outline of a gas pump, and a pair of vertically ribbed jeans. An interesting personal brand, to say the least.
I suppose at the time I thought it was clever (it wasn’t), but looking back I can sort of see the logic if I squint real hard. That summer, I started my first “real” W-2 job, so for the first time I did, indeed, have take-home pay, and I also had my first car so I had a “tank.” I suppose that shirt was my way of subtly saying, I have a job and I have a car. Now, the ribbed jeans are a little harder to explain.