She Drew the Line!

 

by Zig Ziglar

Chances are pretty good you’ve never heard of Dr. June McCarroll, but she is truly one of the women who left their “mark” on the world. She was born in Nebraska and was a general practitioner who lived in California. Interestingly enough, her claim to fame lies outside the world of medicine. An accident was the trigger that got her thinking about making our highways safer. Her car was sideswiped and she determined to do something about cars that crowded others off the road.

As she was driving along a road that bulged down its center, she noticed that the bulge helped to keep motorists on their own side of the road. This gave her an idea and she started trying to persuade the town council to “paint a line down the middle of the road” to set an example and “lead the nation in public safety.” She got the typical bureaucratic response that her idea was ingenious but impractical. However, Dr. McCarroll was one of these people who will not take no for an answer so she took her idea to the local women’s club. The vote was unanimous in support of the project. Despite this fact, as the old saying goes, some minds are like concrete – all mixed up and permanently set, so she continued to face bureaucratic stubbornness for seven long years before her idea was implemented.

C. N. Hamilton was a staunch local supporter of Dr. McCarroll’s concept and when he became a member of the California Highway Commission in 1924 he convinced the Commission to approve the painting of a five-mile-long experimental center line on Route 99. An additional test strip was also painted. Accidents on both stretches diminished dramatically and soon the entire state boasted “McCarroll lines” on its highways. Most of the world has since followed suit.

Message: When you conceive an idea in which you fervently believe, go after that idea – especially if people you respect believe it’s a good one. Hang in there and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!