"Building on Reputation"
12/17/2025
Harold Frazier was my relative. Harold was born before 1920 in Rural Chesterfield, Missouri, USA to Maggie and Henry Joseph Frazier a dark skin son in a predominately white area. Having a business in 1940 to 1950 as an African American in St. Louis County, Missouri during Jim Crow means reputation and craftsmanship is how you stay in business and flourish. I grew up with Harold as a mentor of sorts. As a kid I never liked saying Uncle. Mom Maggie makes Harold, Brother Harold. I watched Harold manage business and learned what honesty and hard work meant as a Young African American son. Even in the 1970's Klu Klux Klansmen were in our lives. Mom Mag a short pale half white and half Uintah (Apache Native American Uintah and Ouray Ute Reservation Indian Rolls 1910) woman who was married to a 6'9" or taller dark skin Falasha's man married in 1916; she was the daughter of James Randlett Wash. Grandpa Randlett was a businessman in Chesterfield, Missouri, USA owning the Chesterfield Egg Farm. 20 years ago, our cousin ran the Egg Farm in Jackson, Missouri, USA. I learned to be a person that ran his life on reputation. Henry J. Frazier had reputation that earned him the nickname O'Dark Thirty. O'Dark Thirty picked his Caucasian Wife (white Wife) up in the dead of night and drove her home through Klu Klux Klan Country nightly. I Learned to live in this lifestyle and molded my reputation with a fusion of Klan and African American cultures. My level and Nickman became Thirty-One I would laugh in the dead of night and say O'Dark Thirty-One. It was not an easy life to live. I was always held to a higher standard in everything. Klansmen said I was Henry's Boy and he had a standard, Klansmen's sons said I wasn't smart enough, clean enough, wealthy enough or honest enough to be O'Dark Thirty's son. You don't live up to the family level that is O'Dark Thirty's and Maggie's son.
It's crazy being a person with a reputation that is hard to prove without it happening right in front of you. As I said reputation is the thing to build on. I have two brothers that are like Harold Jimmy Ray and Bobby Earl it is hard to understand how they are my brothers. I am too young and the wrong color in this case. It was strange when Penny Marshall said, "you're not a Marshall but you have the reputation of being a Marshall." I laughed and said, "let see if he will show up." I called Jimmy Ray Marshall and introduced Penny to the way I am a Marshall. Having a reputation of being their brother is a lot to live to when you're an African American looking guy. Because of Jimmy Ray I call Sherman, Missouri home. Sherman has a reputation of not being a place for African Americans to go. Sherman is where I am from when I had or have Klu Klux Klan problems. Bobby Earl and Jimmy Ray are my family, and I am Thirty-One verify me that way. Thirty-one sets the standard when he is able to set the standard. Thirty-One has that reputation. Thirty-One was asked to bring a business level to and through his life by the Klu Klux Klan. In Kentucky I met the members of the Klan that would accept the level I had to offer. "Son just put your best foot forward." I am one of the first African American photographers to have photographed a major event in Kentucky Horse Park I am told. So, I have that reputation; that means in the Rolex Grand Stadium it is rare for African Americans to photograph events in Kentucky Horse Park. When possible, I photograph the Land Rover Kentucky Horse Park Three Day Event. Sometimes walking into photograph there are African Americans fishing the lake and it is the big deal that could not have happened in the past. There are African Americans setting up the events and working as staff now. I still travel and photograph events and hear the murmurs. "Is it Ok for him to photograph here." "It's the one that does it." "No, one is able to do it but Thirty-One." "You got it." I have the reputation of doing "First Black to Have" with Former President Barack Obama and Former US Attorney General Eric Holder. It's crazy I am a guy that looks African American but have the reputation of being a Caucasian born in Europe that's why I allowed to cross color barriers.
When you live on reputation the bad you do should be on accident and the good you do should outweigh the bad. When the bad you do is on purpose never will be justified. If live the life or company, you take care of will be reputable. Along with that life come be honest and honor your word. You don't want to have the reputation of being a liar. No one will trust the way you say a business transaction happened. There is nothing in life or business like being taken at your word and having people willing to go to court in support of you; with nothing more than your word. When discussing business or important matters you want always conduct yourself in a business manner that demonstrates your knowledge of the subject or business venture. You will build a reputation for being a business savvy person. If you live this way when bad things are said about you the industry will say "we don't know that person." When you honor your word, the simplest conversations are almost as binding as a contract. You leave the discussion or conference table with a deal that just needs to be typed up and signed. As a salesperson there is nothing worse than dealing from the top and the bottom of the deck. When in sales I would quote a price and honored the price given unless contributing factors not given by the customer changed or presented themselves. That means the customer says the piece is 8 feet long and the piece pickup length is 12 feet dimensionally the factors of the quoted price changed. Give the customer an honest requoted price and your reputation will remain intact. Some freight carriers use to say, "I have the freight you what I bill you." You will not have the customer long unless you are the only game in town. I lived my life as a man with nothing more than his word and a handshake. I was told when I was 20 years old "you live this way when your wealthy and I will know you until I die." He was 60 or 70 years old. Jimmy Ray and I shook on being Blood Brothers when I was four or five years old. I cut my hand to deep, and we couldn't get the bleeding to stop. Mom Mag wiped the three (Jimmy Ray, Bobby Earl and I) of us for being dumb. "Your brothers!" "Blood in Blood out." Bobby Earl said, "from now on were brothers Blood in Blood out." We have honored that for more than 50 years. Jimmy Ray said it was a Native American tradition.
As a Freight Forwarders Agent giving superior customer service is an important part of the image and reputation of the corporation. Customer service is more than just answering the phone and answering the question. I have worked in a broad span, or types of business levels; and service is always at the root of good corporate or business reputation. The staff is courteous and knowledgeable when I talk to them with a question or problem. In the book "The Cult of the Customer," it's the Magic it refers to that is a joy to watch happen. Being known in an industry does not mean there is a good reputation. Bernie Madoff has a reputation, but the reputation is for being a crook. The employee of the month has a reputation of being a good employee. The strange thing is the company you work for needs to have a good reputation in the industry for that to carry weight outside your office or company. I have read it this book once and I am thinking about reading it again CORPORATE REPUTATION - 12 Steps to Safeguarding and Recovering Reputation - LESLIE GAINES-ROSS - Wiley (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). I was just finishing up the requirements for my associate degree in business administration and was headed on to try to graduate with a bachelor's degree in business administration. I was duel enrolled at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park and using an articulation agreement between the Community College and Wash U, UMSL and Saint Louis University. I picked up the third book "THE MEN'S CODE OF HONOR - 66 Principles that Make a Man - DAN STRADFORD - Whisper (Whisper Canyon Publishing) and thought it would help me with building a strong base in business having the knowledge. I worked for General Motors (GM) for a few months and was told I needed more education to continue working in the transportation division of the GM. I am a Ford Man, however I still used my name, my word and my handshake. Mary Barra (CEO of GM) knows me as a Ford man that handles himself as a professional even when working for GM. William (Bill) Ford owner of Ford Motor Company said it was the reputation every Ford Man could be proud of because he was proud of the Ford Man that could work for GM with the same enthusiasm, we (Ford Men) are businessmen first and foremost. It's what makes Ford successful. Build on Reputation and put your best foot forward.
By Darren Dwayne Frazier
Photograph by Highland Productions LLC