By: Michael A. Lindenberger/Washington Correspondent
Published: October 20, 2015
WASHINGTON–T. Boone Pickens has made enough money in his lifetime to never work again. Heck, he says he’s paid $761 million in federal taxes since he turned 70, more than most people ever dream of earning in a lifetime. But he still shows up for work every day at 7:30 a.m.
I had him on the phone this morning for a story we’re planning on running later this month or so about mega-donors in the presidential race. He’s been spending big on candidates since at least 1979, when he was one of Ronald Reagan’s leading supporters in Texas. (He had this to say about George W. Bush’s knock on Ted Cruz.)
We got to chatting about more than just what I had called for, and he told me sees things simply. “I tell students,” he said, noting his involvement with Oklahoma State University, “if you have a good work ethic and you have a good education you can’t miss. That’s all there is to it. You can’t miss. I believe that. I believe it’s that simple.”
That’s advice for young people, of course, but what about someone pushing 90? How important is a work ethic then? I asked him why he works so hard now, when at age 87 he clearly doesn’t have to.
“I was born in the Depression and I have people ask me, Gosh was it real tough in the Depression? Hell no it wasn’t tough.
“Everyone in the family had a job. And my grandmother had a huge garden. I never missed a meal. I maybe only had two pair of shoes — a pair of tennis shoes and Sunday shoes — but I never was shoeless. And so was I lucky? You’re damn right I was lucky. I had one wonderful life as a child and as an adult. And so yes, I’ve been very lucky.
“But I can say that I didn’t start out with anything. Am I proud of that? I’d have probably rather started out with a little something, if I had a choice,” he said. “But I didn’t. It all worked out fine for me. I’ve been generous and all. After I was 70 years old, I paid $761 million in taxes. After I was 70 years old. And I go to work every day. I’m sitting at my desk right now. And I got here at 7:30 this morning.”
Me: How long will you work, on a typical day?
“Oh, I’ll go home at six.”
Me: Why do you do that? There are so many other things you could do?
“Now, you’ve opened up a subject. ‘You could do all kinds of other things.’ Alright. Tell me. What other sorts of things could I be doing? You go and list all those things. Tell me what they’d be.”
Me: I’m not saying you ought to do them. But you could travel, right, spend time with people you wanted to. You go to movies. Do whatever you want. I’m just curious why you choose to work so hard.
“Don’t say hard. I enjoy the work. I don’t consider myself to be working hard. I’m occupied. … I enjoy what I am doing it. I enjoyed who I do it with. It’s a team of people who have been with me a long time. And, I am productive. Okay now, I’m retired. Whoops. What am I going to do? Go to movies? Hell I don’t go to movies. I don’t go to two movies a year. So scratch that.
“I quit playing golf at 80. I have macular degeneration so I see double. Mentally, my brain has adjusted to that, but when I bend over to tee up a gold ball, I see one ball on top of another. That’s not fun for me. So I quit.
[But not before he eagled No. 1 at Augusta National at age 78.Me: Did anyone see that? That’s quite a feat.]
“Yes, they saw it. I have the score card in my office. The judges signed it for me. Have it right here.”
“I quit hunting quail when I was 80, too. I was a very very good wing shot. Why did I quit? Not really the eye thing … I am tired of falling down. You lose your depth of vision and your peripheral vision isn’t so good. My ranch is sand country, so it’s a good place if you are going to fall down. But I don’t enjoy it.
“I’ve had a trainer for 27 years and I am up at 6:30 each morning. Today I did 150 squats on a ball and did the treadmill, at 10 degrees, level 4 speed.
“Those kinds of things fill my day. I get home from work and I like to sit and watch the evening news and we go to bed by 8 or 8:30.”
There you have it, perhaps a modern day Ben Franklin: Early to bed, early to rise make you healthy, wealthy and wise.