OPINION Magical Dozen

William McKnight is a big name in our area. I never met him, but I have read a lot about him. He had a great ability as an American businessman and philanthropist.

He joined the 3M company in Duluth in 1907 as an assistant bookkeeper and rose quickly to become president in 1929 and chairman of the board in 1949.

One of the key points of his management style was to delegate responsibility and encourage the men and women to exercise their initiative.

The booklet of rules that McKnight used and gave each employee was how to make greater profits and results. It was often referred to as the magical dozen if applied.

I think it has an application for all businesses.

Here they are:

1. Improving the quality of products.

2. Reducing mistakes to a minimum.

3. Constant efforts toward reducing costs.

4. Eliminating lost time and delays.

5. Better planning of each job.

6. Avoiding waste and spoiled work.

7. Saving materials and supplies.

8. Developing more efficient methods.

9. Better care of equipment and tools.

10. Increased individual effort.

11. Completing each job promptly.

12. Continuous study and training.

Their 17,000 square ft. home in Dellwood was built in the late 1800s in the English Tudor style. Actually, the McKnights took over the home in early 1940s and did extensive remodeling. Eventually the home was razed and the property divided.

Summer solstice

This year the summer solstice occurs on June 21, marking the start of summer in the northern hemisphere. It is also the longest day of the year. In the northern hemisphere, the solstice occurs when the sun travels along its northernmost path in the sky. This marks the astronomical start of summer in the northern half of the globe, and the opposite in the southern hemisphere.

Advice to youth

In May, millions of young college students celebrate their graduations and move forward into the world of jobs, family and civic responsibility. President Ronald Reagan in 1989 offered the nation’s young people a lesson about America.

“And let me offer lesson #1 about America: All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So tomorrow night in the kitchen, I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven’t been teaching you what it means to be an American, let ‘em know and nail ‘em on it’. That would be a very American thing to do.”

Some things you’ll never need to know

• QI is the most commonly played word in Tournament Scrabble. It’s pronounced “chee” and means “life force” or “energy” in Mandarin.

• There is one and a half times more caffeine in milk chocolate than in Coca-Cola.

• Boring, Oregon has become a “sister community” with Dull, Scotland.

• The Greek national anthem has 158 verses, but only two of them are ever sung.

• When a Navajo baby laughs aloud for the first time, the family throws a party. The person who made the baby laugh provides the food.

Gene Johnson is publisher emeritus of Press Publications.