PULSE At Energy Fitness, Jerry offers encouragement to members and staff alike, espe- cially to those who do not see working out as a lifelong proposition. 6WD\LQJ ¿W LV LQ -HUU\¶V '1$ :LWK KLV ZLIH RI \HDUV &DURO DQG WKUHH JURZQ daughters – Kim, Laurie and Sherry – and their families, Jerry says he has a lot to live for. And another thing, one from his bucket list, is a 50th passenger cruise. In 20 years, Carol and he have taken 49 cruises on passenger liners that he describes as ranging from a bucket of bolts to small cities with people packed in so tight it made a U.S. Navy ship seem roomy. Two of his passenger liner cruises, and his IDYRULWHV KH VD\V ZHUH RQ WKH 3DFL¿F 3ULQFHVV ,W¶V WKH VKLS XVHG IRU 79¶V ³/RYH Boat” in the 1970s-‘80s. Jerry gets a hug from Energy Fitness' Sharon Hales They were afforded the opportunity to travel because Jerry hired a couple who he says could run his antique store, The Market at Fourth and Jefferson streets, bet- ter than he could. Carol and he knew they would regret if they chose not to travel once they were given the chance. “We decided we would do it and not be worried about life,” Jerry says. But any- thing in excess … “Now we are poor and living on ‘social insecurity,” he says with a curled up smile and a sheepish look on his face. It’s not a money matter that’s keeping them from their milestone vacation, Jerry says.“I can’t handle luggage right now. But I won’t give up on the dream of Carol and me taking that 50th cruise.” ,Q IDFW XQOLNH VWD\LQJ ¿W JLYLQJ XS KDV QHYHU EHHQ LQ -HUU\¶V '1$ H[FHSW IRU just once. Originally from St. Louis, Jerry graduated from the University of Missouri in 1969 with a degree in electrical engineering. He took a job with the Motorola Co. He was hired right out of school, before the more than 1,000-mile trip to Arizona. Once arriving at Motorola, he says, his career with the electronics giant promptly HQGHG +H ZDV WDNHQ WR KLV RI¿FH ZKLFK ZDV KDUGO\ ODUJH HQRXJK WR WXUQ DURXQG LQ DQG KDG QR ZLQGRZV -HUU\ DVNHG LI WKH RI¿FH LV ZKHUH KH¶G ZRUN IRU VHYHUDO years. When his boss said, “Yes,” Jerry said, “No,” and quit on the spot. Old becomes new again, but something new quickly becomes old. Jerry realized that his new home in Arizona was lacking in antiques and antique sales. Look- ing to turn the move to his advantage, Jerry drove back and forth to and from the Midwest, buying up antique items and selling them in Arizona. By the early 1980s, Jerry was able to stake himself into opening his shop in Pa- ducah where he admits he “sold more junk than I did high-end antiques.” And the rest, as it is said, is history – the buying and selling of antiques pun intended. Today, Jerry is retired and recently returned to Energy Fitness after back surgery. “What can keep me from the gym: Death,” he says. “I’ll be here even if they have to come in and carry me out.” n 58 SEPTEMBER 2014 PROMOTING EVENTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE INTHEVUE.COM