FROM THE EDITOR
LAST WORD
PROFILE
MEDIA ROOM
ION geOrgeO PSI NeLOVer
interVieW by SHeLLey Van atta COMMUNITY eorge Selover has dedicated a large portion I ’ M Jthe U SBillings T S AY ING... of his life to bettering community. He has steered not only one of Billings’ most prosperous businesses, Selover Buick and Honda (now UnderrinerE Motors), C O S E along N S E the high road of success, but also many local organizations, guid-
L I B AT I O N S
A RT I S T S ’ L O F T
POLITICS
an aDVantage OF being in One PLace FOr SO LOng iS tHe abiLity tO WatcH tHingS cOMe anD gO, anD tO DiScarD FrOM WOrrieS tHOSe tHingS tHat truLy are iMPOrtant FrOM tHOSe tHat aren’t.
98 I Magic city Magazine I January 2009
ing with a firm hand, an incisive intellect and a compassionate heart. He has earned his place in our community as a visionary leader who holds paramount the interests of the community he has served for more than five decades. One would expect to see the walls of Selover’s office to be covered with the numerous awards he has received over the years. For a humble man who downplays his achievements, however, it should come as no surprise that his walls are surprisingly bare, with the exception of a 1937 aerial map of Billings, pre-dating his arrival by 18 years to a city that would become not just a home, but a lifelong passion.
The early years-first impressions On a Saturday in October 1955, 26-year-old George sat in the University of Minnesota football stadium with his wife, Patty, and a crowd of 65,000 fans. He was to drive by himself the following morning to Billings, his new hometown, where Patty and their two daughters, Sally, 3, and Mary, nine months, would follow on Thanksgiving Day (a third daughter, Lucy, was born later in Billings). “Do you realize there are over twice as many people in this stadium as there are in Billings?” George observed to Patty. He came to take over the family’s Whitaker Buick dealership (which became Selover Buick in 1967). The Selover family’s first home, on Cactus Drive, above Rimrock Road and 13th St., was on the outskirts of town: the east side of the street being city land, the west side, Yellowstone County land. Reflections: An advantage of being in one place for so long is the ability to watch things come and go, and to discard from worries those things that truly are important from those that aren’t. “Things always change,” he reflected. “I never thought I’d live to see a $10,000 Buick,” he remarked while opening a scrapbook showing price sheets from Billings Motor Co., a predecessor of Selover Buick. A March 19, 1951 price sheet shows a fourdoor sedan as the least expensive car offered, at $2,638.80; a four-door Estate Wagon, the most expensive car, was $3,986.80. The good memories are evident in a slow smile that creases his still-handsome face, made more so with the gifted wisdom of the years.
Neighbor helping neighbor: Two stories easily came to mind, reminiscent of the close community feel of Downtown Billings in days of yesteryear: When Betty and Grant Gainan had the smaller store, George was out walking and decided to stop by to visit. He saw they both were busy with customers and the phone was ringing; so, the Buick guy picked up the phone and answered it, “Gainans’, how may I help you?” That, he said, is what friends did back then. Another day, George stopped by Jason’s to visit his good friend, Paul Alweis. George saw a customer wandering unattended because the salesperson was waiting on another customer. George could not stand to see unattended customers in his own store; so, he introduced himself to the Jason’s customer and ended up selling him a hat. Paul was watching from the stairway, howling with laughter. Advocate for education: One of Billings’ strongest educational advocates, Selover served as chairman of the local school board and chairman of the Rocky Mountain College Board of Trustees: “We have an excellent school system. The only caveat is the failure of the mill levies. If that continues, we will have a problem attracting the professional people we need. When I hear people say we can’t afford it, I remember when Patty and I moved to Billings. While our children were in the school system, others helped pay their way; now, it’s our responsibility to help carry that on. People in Billings just need to be given the reasons for being positive. Once they are, they always do the right thing.” Looking down the road: “Billings is moving in the right direction; just drive around and look at the new construction, from the new First Interstate Bank building across from North Park, to Shiloh Road, to Alkali Creek,” said the man who has inspired an entire community to have confidence in ourselves and in our potential. It’s kismet: Family always has been first with George. He met Patty on a blind date, although he chuckles when he says she was his friend’s date. “From the moment I saw her, I never dated another woman. It was kismet.” They married the day he graduated from Princeton. Why Billings?: Moving to Billings, George said, “Was the best things we ever did,” citing the positive spirit that has sustained the city through good times and bad. He has served for over half a century as a role model—a man who leads with integrity, who embodies ethical responsibility, and who reflects the best of who we are in a community of friends.
January 2009 I Magic city Magazine I 99