After fighting in World War II, my maternal grandfather Bob Waterman came home and found a job as a salesman. He spent decades on the road away from his family, trying to earn enough to support them. Later in life, he had an opportunity to buy a rental car company franchise and he seized it, desperate for some more stability, more time with his kids, and a more steady income stream. He spent several years running the Mr. Rent-A-Car and Mr. Lease-A-Car franchise and was actually able to retire on the living he made, something that’s increasingly rare for middle class people today. His work was less about a career and more about providing for his family — it’s taught me how the simplicity of hard work can end up having a real significance in a family history.
Ori Korin is the Press Secretary at Jobs With Justice
Photo: Ori, pictured with her brother, is wearing a t-shirt with the logo of her grandfather’s rental car franchise
