“If
you don’t live it, you don’t believe it.”
Marion
E. Wade. The Lord is My Counsel
Marion
E. Wade was born in Pocahontas, Arkansas on January
17, 1898. He was the youngest of four boys, and was named
after Francis Marion, the Southern hero known as the “Swamp
Fox.” Marion dropped out of school after the eighth
grade to become an office boy in order to help support
his family. He also played baseball regularly, and in 1915,
Marion joined the Chicago Braves, a semi-pro team, as a
catcher. After his brother’s death in combat during
the First World War, Marion enlisted with the Marines in
1918 and was sent to Parris Island, where he went through
grueling combat training even though the war ended shortly
after he joined.
In
1920, Marion Wade married and left baseball to begin
life as a salesman. Nine years later, in the midst of
the Great Depression in the United States, he began a
new home and office moth-proofing company. On January
1, 1947 the new company of Wade, Wenger, & Associates
was formed in Chicago. In addition to moth-proofing,
the firm now offered carpet and rug cleaning as well.
Very quickly, the business grew, and in 1954 the name
of the company changed to ServiceMaster. The company
which Mr. Wade founded almost fifty years ago is still
thriving and today ServiceMaster offers a variety of
residential and commercial services including lawn and
landscape maintenance, termite and pest control, maintenance
and repair of heating, air conditioning, plumbing and
appliances, cleaning and furniture maintenance and home
warranties.
Marion Wade had a strong personal faith and a genuine desire
to serve and honor God in all he did. Taking his personal
convictions into the business world, he saw great worth
in each individual. As a result, he respected every customer
and employee, believing that each one had been made in
God’s image. His autobiography, The Lord
is My Counsel, was published in 1966 (Prentice Hall) and
gives more details of his life and the founding of ServiceMaster.
Marion
E. Wade was also an enthusiast of the works of C.S. Lewis.
After his death on November 28, 1973 (at age 75), friends
and family of Mr. Wade established an endowment to provide
a yearly grant for what was then known as “The
C.S. Lewis Collection.” The name of the collection
officially changed to “The Marion E. Wade Center” in
1974 in honor of the endowment and the legacy of Marion
E. Wade.
The Lord is My Counsel by Marion E. Wade
(PDF; full-text; about 27 MB, may load slowly)
http://corporate.servicemaster.com/overview_company.asp
http://corporate.servicemaster.com/overview_history.asp
