Imagine it’s the fall of 1945, you are the president of an incorporated spice company, and you often travel for work. You’ve just visited the front desk of the Daniel Boone Hotel to pick up your mail for the day, but alas, the desk attendant says that you did not receive any mail! Since you constantly communicate with your company in Alabama (even when you are traveling across the United States), you’ve come to expect some form of written correspondence waiting for you each day – so what happened?
For A.C. Legg’s President, Mr. Paul Blanchard, this scenario actually played out during a business trip in September 1945. What our President Blanchard did not realize was that a “Mr. Paul (Kenneth) Blanchard” also was staying at the hotel. As it turned out, the two gentlemen were quite alike. They both traveled for work, had the same given name, and even looked similar in appearance! They also seemed to share the same taste in hotels, which is how this bewildering case of mistaken identities occurred as mail was handed to the wrong “Mr. Blanchard” that day.
President Paul Blanchard later received a letter from the other “Mr. Paul Blanchard,” and the two gentlemen went on to exchange multiple letters and pictures as their unexpected encounter unfolded. They also discussed others across the country who were lucky enough to share their name.
While we are unsure if the two men ever met in person, we are certain that both enjoyed a laugh in discovering their mistaken identity. We are glad to have you join us as we look back at A.C. Legg’s past and look forward to celebrating our #Journeyto100 with you!
