I walked into my career with “eyes wide shut”. I didn’t have a clue that the day I applied at Sea World in June 1969 that my life would change in a thousand ways. I was 18 years old and simply looking for a summer job.
Last month, I attended the funeral for George Millay, the founder of Sea World and one of the most influential people and mentors in my life. As I sat in the church and listened to the many stories of his colorful and extraordinary career, I began to reflect on my own. I thought about the people I have met; the ones I have loved, and those I have admired as a result of my career in the Hospitality Industry. Over the next few months, I’d like to share my stories about some of the people who have entered and remained in my life.
Some people might ask: where do you start? For me, the answer is simple. I start with a man I met within weeks of starting my job at Sea World. He was in Operations and responsible for the park functioning efficiently and safely. I didn’t work for him, but with him and over a period of months, I decided he was one of the nicest people I had ever met – a friend everyone wants. I knew I could trust him – always.
37 years later, he remains one of the nicest men I have ever met – and has been my friend; my husband; my children’s father; now a grandfather and always my partner in life and in our business. We remain partners in every sense of the word. The only place in the world where he won’t run into me is on a golf course – and that is my gift to him. I think he deserves a “Fabienne Free Zone!”
We don’t often recognize life-changing experiences when they happen. In retrospect,
I realize that I was truly blessed the day I walked into Sea World. That job became my portal to my husband, my career, and my life as I know it. As we have often remarked, “it was a good hire.”
Sooooo – on this first edition of people who have made a difference in my life, I’d like to say thank you to my husband, Terry Hanks. I can’t imagine what my life would be without him.
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