Everyone has a story. Some are short and others’ a mile long. Stories are a mixture of life experiences with some morals thrown in and a dash of beliefs. Most of us won’t have enough intrigue and drama to write a book about our lives – but it doesn’t mean our story isn’t as important as a major league baseball player or army ranger.
Stories reach us in various ways. A couple months ago, a random email made it through my spam filter and ended up in my mailbox. It was from a man in Florida, Dan Luce, who remembered Romo Durable Graphics, back when it was “ROMO Display Advertising” in the 1960s. At that time he lived in the Chicago area but was an avid Green Bay Packers fan (not a popular choice in those days). His uncle, who lived in Wisconsin, converted him at a young age. Uncle Larry took Dan to Packer games at County Stadium in Milwaukee when the Packers played there four games each season. Milwaukee County Stadium was not an ideal venue since it was the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Stadium. But Dan didn’t care. The chance to see his favorite team and spend time with his favorite uncle was irreplaceable.
During the 60s, Romo printed “The Pack Will be Back” bumper stickers – one of the first Green Bay Packers marketing pieces sold. Dan wanted to show his pride amongst the Chicago crowd so he called Romo’s office and ordered 250 stickers. He gave them to fellow Illinois Packer fan and kept the rest in his glove compartment.
Over the years, whenever Dan met a fellow Packer fan in a restaurant, bar, or traveling for work, he would excuse himself from the conversation and go out to his car to get a “The Pack will be Back” decal from his glove compartment stash. He didn’t expect anything in return but was usually given a free drink, warm hug, and heart-melting smile. Experiences that are worth more than the material and ink that went into making it.
When Uncle Larry moved to Kansas City, Dan inherited the season tickets and didn’t miss a game for 18 years – until he moved overseas. The tickets were given to his best friend and eventually willed to his son – staying in the Packer Fan family.
After Dan emailed me his story, we printed some replica decals and sent him a stack before the holidays. He was so grateful that he sent another email. He shared that his uncle passed away last week. His beloved uncle who gave him the greatest gift of all – 30 years of Packer games and a life-long love of the team. Before the funeral he sent a few to his aunt. She had warm memories of her husband braving those cold-weather games each season. She displayed them during the wake – along side his family photos.
As Vince Lombardi said, “Think of only three things: your God, your family and the Green Bay Packers – in that order.” As a proud member of the Green Bay community, I can agree these three things are intertwined in everything I do. It’s hard to explain unless you live in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Dan never made it to Green Bay for a game at Lambeau Field. Retired in Florida, he has trouble traveling and the cold weather in Green Bay doesn’t agree with him. We invited him to a game anytime he’s in town and hope he’ll someday experience a game at Lambeau to bring his story full circle.
Romo Durable Graphics is proud to be a part of Dan’s story and happy he shared it with us.
Send me your story and I’d be happy to share how – even in a small way – Romo has impacted your life.
