I am named after my two grandfathers, Harry on my dad's side and Luther on my mom's. So my full name is Harry Luther Porter. Growing up I never really liked my name. Let's face it; my name does not stir up the same emotions as say a moniker like Thomas Magnum or Han Solo.
I went through a short period when I was 11 where I wanted to be called Bo. Not sure where it came from but it sounded cool and mysterious to my prepubescent mind. I arrived home from school one day and asked my mother to call me Bo and I told her I would not be answering to anything other than Bo from that day forth. My mother giggled but complied.
I was Bo for a total of two hours and 17 minutes. When my father arrived, home and I informed him of my new handle he was none too pleased. He told me if Harry was good enough for his father, it was certainly good enough for me. My retort to his comment was quickly silenced by a backhand to the face. Funny how Bo does not sound as cool coming from a bloody lip.
This story was brought to my mind over the weekend as a watched two documentaries. One was about William Wrigley Jr. the maker of Wrigley's gum. The second was about Herman Lay, the potato chip magnate. Both men created companies and products that have outlived them and left lasting legacies on the world.
These men believed in themselves and their products enough to put their name on the businesses. Therefore, tying themselves, their reputations and their family name to the endeavors. I find that kind of self-confidence extremely compelling.
Contrast these men with today's titans such as Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, or Jeff Bezos, creator of Amazon. Neither man saw fit to put their name on their creation. Granted in today's digital world everything is about top-of-mind awareness and clickability. Would I be as likely to buy that bright red "Star Trek" T-shirt from Bezos instead of Amazon? Alternatively, would I be less inclined to post that kitten picture to Zuckerberg rather than Facebook? Who knows? However, putting your name behind something is just special.
Look at Tesla, which is named after a real person. Just not the man running the company. Elon Musk named his company Tesla. Musk explains that he named the car company Tesla after the inventor Nikola Tesla because it uses AC induction motors "which is an architecture Tesla developed." Cool concept by Musk, I guess. Would you want to drive around in a $44,000 electric Musk?
Jobs, Dorsey and Gates decided not to give creations their surnames, as well. Would the world be different is they did? Maybe or maybe not. Would we be a kinder, gentler and prouder society? Your guess is as good as mine is.
Heck, what do I know? I'm just a peep who lost my Bo at 11.