As a young guy, I had an opportunity to run a full-service hotel on West Colfax in Denver. The Four Winds was owned by an 80-year-old Jewish businessman by the name of Jacob. He liked to hang out at the hotel and bother me. What a waste of time for me to babysit this ancient character while managing the hotel, restaurant and bar.
I was stuck looking after Jacob early each morning while he cleaned the coffee urn with great thoroughness, so guests could enjoy a fresh cup of coffee. I watched him inspect the dry-aging quarters of beef in the cooler and set the thermometer to the perfect level. I tagged along while Jacob greeted each family checking in at the front desk and then followed him to the lounge where he polished the crystal wine glasses. One time I caught Jacob slipping a 20 dollar bill to our mentally impaired dishwasher, but I said nothing.
Over the years, my career progressed to manage larger hotels, but for some strange reason, I always remembered Jacob.