Don’t Tell Me It Can’t Be Done

Ray Hickey
Ship’s Wheel Press (2008)
ISBN 9780615194837
Reviewed by Adra Young for Reader Views (9/08)

 

Ray Hickey, the former owner of Tidewater Barge Lines, takes us all back on a historical adventure covering over forty years of his life.  From his humble beginnings as a child, whose family consisted of two adults and ten kids, Ray was never a stranger to hard work. From an employee and business owner, till now a retired passionate man sincerely committed to charity, Ray provides in his documentary the morals and values of a good human being which in return played a vital role in him achieving a multitude of ongoing goals, and accomplishments in his lifetime.

Starting from the bottom and working his way up to the top, Mr. Hickey’s life was not always a basket of peaches. From one of his first jobs as a dishwasher, till making repairs on one of the Barges in freezing ice cold water, he like many of us had to endure tough times. Because work ethics were instilled in him at such a very young age by his parents, he refused to let anything get in the way of him doing the best he could possibly do.

Reading this book, I’ve come to honestly believe that Mr. Hickey’s blessings and prosperity evolved from the positive karma he continuously chose to throw out in the universe.  During his days as an employee for Tidewater, Mr. Hickey stated  and lived by following words,”  We provide it well and we treat all of our customers the same.”  As an employee of Tidewater, he treated his coworkers with dignity.  As supervisor of
Tidewater, he treated the men that he superseded as brothers. As owner of Tidewater he treated all of his employees as one big family. Mr. Hickey placed emphasis on doing the right things in life and as result due to being honest, hardworking, and a man of character, great things came to him in return. 

Some of the words stated by Mr. Hickey that positively impacted me the most were,” let your goal find you,” and “don’t forget the humor.”  In life we often find ourselves trying to find that “Ideal Job” or career instead of letting it find us.  And more importantly, at times we all take everything entirely too serious!  After all, what’s the meaning of life, period, if we can’t laugh about it all from time to time?

As a business owner, Mr. Hickey realized early in the game that if you take good care of your people, they will take care of you.   The section in this book that absolutely validates the character of this great man falls in the “Maintain a positive attitude” section. The very thing that stuck out with me the most is that when the company endured financial hardship, everyone including Mr. Hickey took a 10% reduction in pay.  However, when business increased again, Mr. Hickey saw to it that everyone was nicely compensated. 

In most businesses you’ll come to find that making money comes first, and environment and ecological factors are pushed to the side. Once again, Mr. Hickeys proves to be an exception to the norm.  Due to the birds and fish being polluted due to oil leakages in the river, Mr. Hickey made a conscious decision to no longer haul oil and asphalt up the river.  This decision cost Mr. Hickey a decline in business, however, he didn’t think twice about it. He knew it was simply the right thing to do.

Words cannot explain the generosity and kindness of Mr. Hickey’s heart.  There are no words to describe how many peoples lives were and are still positively affected in his community due to his ongoing willingness to give. From the creation of the Ray Hickey’s Hospice House specifically for senior citizens, to providing the revenues to ensure that the local school for the blind could remain open, his contributions to humanity are simply uncountable.  When I think about the Ray Hickey Foundation, and the Ray Hickey Pediatric Research Institute, It simply brings tears to my eyes.  There is one word now that comes to mind when I now think of this awesome person.  Phenomenal!
           
“Don’t Tell Me It Can’t Be Done” would be great for all ages to read and enjoy.  I personally would recommend it for middle and high school history students due to their lack of exposure to “The Industrial Age.”  Mr. Hickey did an excellent job at telling his story and getting his point across.  There’s a song written over twenty years ago by Diana Ross.  The words of the song are as follows, “Reach out and touch somebody’s hand.”  “Make this world a better place if you can.”  Mr. Hickey has not only touched hands.  He has exemplified through his actions how this world should really be.  Thank you so much for literary contribution to the world and all the good you have done Mr. Hickey.

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