Fifty years ago, a tough young man, fresh out of the service, joined Whitey Molitch and Jim Clark as a driver in their fledgling effort to make a business moving shows by truck. His name was Charles Joseph Hackett. His story and the story of Clark Transfer are inseparable.

"I started when Norma's father, Whitey Molitch, had the company," Charlie remembered. "He was like a father to all of us, that's exactly what he was like. He would holler at you, he would beat up on you, but he'd also pat you on the back, give you a little wink of the eye. He was very good to me."

One of the new company's early contracts was Eugene Ormandy's Philadelphia Orchestra. Charlie got behind the wheel, where he stayed for most of the next 20 years. Ormandy was fond of reminding journalists about the unsung "musician of the road," the truck driver who played such a key role in getting the orchestra from one concert to the next. In those early days, tractors with sleeper cabs had not been invented, so a night's rest meant stretching out over the steering wheel. However, Charlie did manage to get home occasionally, marrying Geri Duffy in 1950 and fathering eight children.

Over the years, as the company grew, so did Charlie's reputation as someone who would stop at nothing to make the curtain. That commitment and spirit became the standard by which all of Clark's efforts were measured. Ralph Hoffman toured with the National Ballet: "When I came into this business, Charlie Hackett was already a legend. I just knew there was this famous guy, Charlie Hackett, someplace and Clark Transfer operated by his pure force of personality. Everyone spoke of Charlie as the main man - if there was a problem, Charlie fixed it. So when you think of Clark Transfer, you think of Charlie."

After a while, bus and truck became routine for Charlie, but a new set of challenges was just ahead. When the Metropolitan Opera began trucking its national tours every summer, Charlie organized and managed the operation - the first of the mega-tours, with 27 trailers and complex choreography often involving multiple shows moving in and out of the same theatre at the same time - even while performances were underway. This exercise helped him to hone a set of logistical and people skills that set the standard for all who followed him.

In 1969, Matt Molitch, who had succeeded his dad as president, asked Charlie to take on the dispatch operation. Matt remembers this as "one of my best moves."  From then on the midnight phone calls were Charlie's responsibility. Suddenly, his management skills, his political skills, and his persuasive skills became paramount. Norma remembers. "Charlie would use any kind of manipulation to get what he needed from you to get the job done."   He would say 'I like to put drivers on the defensive because then when they're on a little bit of a defensive, then you can tell them what you really want, and get it.'  I don't know what that's called in the sophisticated language of negotiation, but it worked. And at the same time, remarkably, the truck drivers trusted him absolutely. They knew he was always straight with them -  that he would always take care of them. And he always did." 

Cindy Seigle, Clark's current Vice President of Operations, who came up through the ranks under Charlie's guidance, attests to this. "He had a way of getting you to do whatever it is you don't want to do and then thanking him for the opportunity. That was Charlie Hackett."

Dalton Perry, who drove for Clark for over 35 years, sees it this way: "I've always said, Clark doesn't hire people, they hire characters. And Charlie Hackett, he was one of the best. I mean 'character' in a good sense. His character stands out."   For Dalton, Charlie's approval meant a lot. "It was an honor to be made lead driver because you knew he had confidence in you to do the job."

When it came to a late night problem on the road, Dalton was never alone. "Charlie always said, 'You call me at any time. If you've got a problem, call me. And you wake him up in the dead of night and he's got the answer for you. You call and you never get a harsh word. Next day, if you mess up, then you get plenty of harsh words!  But that dead of night call, he's glad to hear from you, wants to know how you're doing, even has a few words of encouragement."

"Charlie had the most amazing mind that one would ever want to deal with," says Norma. You could wake him up at midnight and he would tell you where every truck was, who was driving it, and how far from the destination they were. If they had a change, he would give them the change, put the phone down and go right back to sleep. He had a logistical grasp that is shocking to me. Charlie could just look at a map and figure out the most economical, smartest way to move the stuff. And he did that for fifty years."

"I was taught by some of the best," said Charlie, "by Whitey, by Matt and now by Norma. And you can't have any better teachers than those three."

Norma sees it a little differently, when it comes to who taught whom. "Charlie taught me everything, and he thought he wasn't a good teacher. He taught in the way that's best and that's by example. I mean, if you followed Charlie around and did what Charlie did, you'd be a genius."

At the 1999 celebration of 50 years of service, Charlie looked back at what has changed - and what has remained the same. "You can't blame the weather. "You can't blame accidents. You have to be there on time. It's really very simple. Because all we have to offer is our service. And that means the show must go on."

The example and memory of Charlie Hackett are a big part of what makes Clark Transfer everything it is today.  Thank you, Charlie.