Meeting Charlie Cutler

I was hired into Charlie Cutler’s group at Shell without ever actually meeting Charlie. By the time I signed on, he officed in one of the Shell buildings in downtown Houston. A couple of weeks into my new job, my boss told me that Charlie wanted to take me to lunch to get to know me.

I got to the restaurant early and got a table. Charlie walked in wearing his customary cowboy boots and introduced himself. I had heard that he’d grown up in Beaumont and attended Lamar Tech. Without really considering the potential consequences, I said, “I understand you went to Pecker Tech” — the local Beaumont slang for Lamar. He gave me a quizzical look with a bit of a frown, then smiled and asked, “Are you from Beaumont?”

“Yes.”

“What high school?”

“French.”

“Me too. Where did you live?”

“In Horn Addition.”

“Me too. Which street?”

“Horn.”

“Me too. Address?”

“4495.”

“I grew up at 4490, right across the street.”

That conversation was the beginning of a 35-year relationship that I cherish. Charlie was ten years older than me, so we never crossed paths back in Horn Addition — but our parents were friends.