Fischer explains interest in area via letter
 
Plainview Daily Herald - Plainview, Texas
 
A community meeting to allow Lockney residents to meet Samuel Fischer — the man with ties to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who is contract to purchase the former Tye Co. building in Lockney — is planned for 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Lockney Community Center.

The planned purchase of the building — for which Fischer said he will use to establish a furniture-making business — has raised suspicion among numerous Lockney and area citizens. They question Fischer’s involvement with the FLDS, who some believe promotes polygamy and whose leader, Warren Jeffs, reportedly was recently arrested in Las Vegas for child rape, stemming from his practice of arranging child marriages to older men.

The following is the unedited letter Fischer faxed to The Herald in advance of Friday’s meeting.

• • •

"Greetings: To the people of the Texas Panhandle area. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Samuel Fischer. I learned the cabinet trade during summers working at a cabinet shop in Salt Lake City, Utah in my sophomore, junior, and senior years of school. While going to my senior year in school my business required me to go to work the first three days of the week and catch up on my lessons the last two days of the week. My father taught me a good work ethic from the days of my youth for which I owe him greatly. This is an area in the lives of our young people today that we parents need to focus our intention on to instill into our children the values of good work ethic. The challenge our society faces today is idleness among our youth which leads to juvenile delinquency. Our youth is our future.

"When I came to this area I was very impressed with the people I met here. I will name a few to emphasize my point. One of my trips here I pulled into Amarillo and enjoyed my meal at the Big Texan. Then I forgot to fuel up before heading down I-27. I got just outside of the Plainview City limits when that terrible jerking of the vehicle awakened me to the fact that I had run out of fuel. I had the phone number of Kim Street a realtor in this area. This being a Sunday I felt hesitant calling her for help. But I called her and told her the predicament I was in. She purchase fine gallons of diesel and brought it out to me and wouldn't permit me to pay her for it.

"I met Ella Glover another realtor from Lubbock who went out of her way numerous times to pick me up at the airport and shuttle me around. She went above and beyond the call of duty to help and assist in every way she could.

"I met Dora Ross of the economic development committee of Floyde County. There is a lady that is giving her all for her community. She had to vote for a pay cut to herself to keep the department solvent. Have any of us done that before? I've seen her untiring energy to help promote the industry and business for this area which is the backbone to a healthy society and to help keep the young people here rather than have them go elsewhere for work. The outward flow of people will cause the communities to slowly wither and die. One could look at the bright side of this and say 'Property taxes will go down', but wouldn't it be nicer to have the means to improve your living conditions and have the money to pay higher taxes? It is the tax revenues that pay for education and other services we all enjoy.

"I met Penny Golightly the Judge of Floyde County. Now there is a bundle of vibrancy and energy if I ever saw it. She personifies what every judge in this country should emulate.

"I owe the county clerk Marilyn Holcomb an apology. When I went into their office it was quiet as a library. Everyone was busy at their tasks. In my foolish way I hollered "why is it so quiet in here'". I know I startled them all, yet she was forgiving and kind enough to refer to me as a nice guy.

I met Kenneth Greg who at even 80 years of age was out on his farm overseeing the operation of putting in a drip irrigation system into his fields here was an older fanner who was adjusting the way of doing things to get the best yields by using the latest methods available. He told me that here in Texas every time someone told a story it gets thirty percent bigger. By the way he is the neighbor to the Tye building. When we were talking to John Tye about the purchase of the Tye building he told me that Mr. Greg was leasing the ground around the building that Mr. Greg owned the pump in the well that was there. In talking to Mr. Greg about this he said, no that isn't my pump that pump goes with the well. You know he could have claimed it just as easy as not and no one would be the wiser. This is the kind of honesty that I so appreciate in the people I've come to know here. John Tye introduced me to Willis Mcutchin a banker here who was very helpful and knowledgeable on his banking skills.

I told these stories to explain what I saw here that made this place a favorable location I felt to establish my business and family here. Yes I have a large family. I have twenty four children of which thirteen are my own and I have adopted eleven, although I don’t distinguish between the two. I presently have twelve living at home. I love them all and am grateful for the opportunity to have done so.

Many people have asked why I chose this area. I was bringing a load of machines back from North Carolina back in January of this year when I was stopped in Amarillo by an ice storm which closed the freeway down. I spent the day there without giving it too much thought. The next day they said the freeway was open and I proceed with the other ten thousand cars bumper to bumper all the way to Vega thirty five miles west of Amarillo. At this Point the freeway was shut down and all the traffic was diverted back to Amarillo. I am just religious enough that I wondered what purpose the Lord had for me to be in Amarillo. I began looking around at what the economy was doing, it appeared to be in an upswing, what the real estate prices were like, and get a feel of what the people were like. All of the indicators were positive. After returning back a week later Dwight Thomason called me and said there was a building I may be interested in. By the way Dwight is another person that stands out as a fine person. One thing led to another until here we are today.

I feel that my involvement in your community is a two way street. Yes I am here to provide for my family and make a living, but my business can only survive if I am providing a service to the people here that will help their economic condition as well. It is only through a cooperation effort that there can be success of any kind.

I talked to the people here about the labor camp which I noticed was sitting empty and in a rundown condition. I proposed the idea of fixing it up and offering housing to the people that would need housing that we would hire. This would produce a twofold effect. Not only could this give homes to the needy but a job to go with it that they could establish within themselves a feeling of self worth and taking them off the welfare roles. It would also develop a good solid relationship between employee and employer whereby there would be long lasting relationship of job security. Yes we certainly are going to hire local people in our business. I was talking to Mando over at his restaurant in Lockney about him and his wife working there. There is another wonderful person. If any of you haven’t eaten there you are missing out on some of the best Mexican food available.

In talking about the people I’ve met I hope I haven’t offended anyone. There are many more such as John Tye, Kelly Prayer, Roger Stapp who are high caliber people. I don’t say these things to try to flatter, but state the facts as I have seen them.

If the People of this community are interested in having my business locate here for the benefit of themselves as well as myself I would like to know. There has been plenty of negative publicity regarding my beliefs which I would hope the honest in heart can see through. America was built on the premise that we give each other the freedom of thought, religion, and the pursuit of happiness that doesn't infringe on others. I feel that tolerance for others way of thinking, that may differ from our own, is what constitutes a peaceful society.

This is not going to be an easy road for my family and I. It will involve a lot of hard work and effort to establish a new business here, I know, I have done it many times in my life before. I feel it will be worth it for us and you, if you are willing. I hope I have been able to convey the feelings of my heart in a proper way. I have no animosity toward anyone. I wish all of you the best in your lives.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you at 6:30 P.M. Friday, May 11th at the Lockney Community Center as a time to make your acquaintance and also take job applications for those interested in working at the new plant if this is what you are interested in. If any of you have questions beforehand you can call me on my cell, at 435-467-1840. Thank you for your time and I’ll see you there.

Samuel Fischer
Techsun Industries
 
MyPlainview.com
Originally published May 10, 2007
 
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