Peachy the Magazine October November 2014 | Page 118

Last Man Standing
After describing the ascent of Bassett
under the patriarchy of Mr. J.D., Macy
reveals how JBIII was groomed to take
the reins of his family company and
then, in a stunning and unforeseen
reversal, was forced to relinquish what
had seemed inevitable. Growing up
in a town where all was controlled by
his family—the bank, hospital, schools,
churches, even the electricity bill all bore
the Bassett moniker—the brash JBIII
surely was born with a silver spoon in
his mouth. Yet that silver spoon would
tarnish and it would be the sweat of his
own brow, not the sway of his surname,
that would bring back its luster.
After graduating from Washington
and Lee, JBIII shocked everyone in
Bassett by joining the army. The young
lieutenant learned what real leadership
was as he patrolled the East German
border. He a