The late Richard (Dick) Leslie was a farm boy from Dixboro who graduated from Ypsilanti High School in 1936 snd enrolled in college agriculture courses at MAC (later Michigan State University) in East Lansing.

One of his younger brothers, Jack Snedeker, recalls this sequence to get Richard back to East Lansing on Sunday after a weekend at home. "Dad, mom, Dick and I would all pile in our dusty, old Chevy sedan and head north. Dick wore his tightly-fitting Boy Scout uniform and hat, at the request of our folks. When we let Dick off in Brighton, mom and dad thought he would be successful hitch-hiking by wearing his Scout uniform. We parked nearby until we saw someone give him a ride. To his credit, Dick never complained about his former Boy Scout attire."

In 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, in the middle of World War II.

Uncle Sam quickly shipped him to Fort Davis, near Colon, Panama, with the mission to help protect the Panama Canal, a vital transportation link between the Gulf and the Pacific Ocean.

The need arose on post for a mechnically-inclinded soldier who could repair the fort's typewriters and business machines. Leslie volunteered for the spot, relying on his repair experience on the farm.

When the war ended, he returned home to Dixboro to the waiting arms of his wife, Grace, and to a work-a-day world facing a demand for experienced repairmen of the budding market of typewriters and other business machines. What timing!

Soon names such as Smith Corona, Royal, Underwood, IBM and Hermes became familiar to every U.S. office and these small firms became major players with record profits resulting from the increasing demand for quality typewriters and business machines.

For the next quarter-century in Ann Arbor, Richard Leslie's reputation was expressed in the refrain "Know The Man Who Knows Office Machines."

Soon school systems began adding typewriting courses, causing another jump in the number of typewriters sold across the country.

In 1961, Richard and Grace Leslie founded Leslie Office Equipment in Ann Arbor and, ironically, an increased customer demand for soft office products and office furniture forced a business-name change and emphasis of product line for Leslie Office Supply, Inc.

Ironically, office machine and repair was now a miniscule part of the Leslie sales story and the family business adjusted to the tweak in diversity and demand.

Richard and Grace Leslie and their son Dale built their business on fair prices and pride in excellent customer service. But, for once, the Leslies found their business was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The wide acceptance and success of the Big Box office product stores of Office Max, Office Depot and Staples forced the Leslies to sell their corporation in 1997 after 36 years in business on the west side of Ann Arbor.

On October 3, 2009, Richard Leslie passed away at the age of 92 years old. For 17 years, he resided at the Glacer Hill Retirement Community and the last two weeks of his life at Clare Bridge Brookdale Senior Living. As he mourned the loss of his wife, Grace (1998), he was dedicated to remaining an active Kiwanian and helping others at Glacier Hills through visitation and pushing a lot of wheel chairs.

Dick and Grace Leslie were comfortable, content and wonderfully cared for at Glacier Hills and Clare Bridge.

In, 2008, he was the recipient of the Margaret Maurer Award in recognition of his life-time of humanitarian service by the Board of Directors of the Glacier Hills Retirement Community. "The Good Lord has deeply blessed me and my family," Richard comments, "It's taken me 92 years to experience it all. And I am thankful."

The above article is written by Dale Leslie, Richard and Grace' son. Dale can be reached at 734.660.1023 or via daleleslie@comcast.net Photo: Dale & Richard Leslie (Photo by Timothy J. Kellman Photography); Leslie Office Supply, Inc., The Patrick D. Leslie Building (Photos by Dale Leslie)

Richard Leslie article.doc

Photos and some text: www.aadl.org/gallery/pictureAnnArbor/Dale+Leslie/dixboro