Don Galey, Galey’s Marine, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, is still as sharp and energetic as he was back when I first met him. I first met Don back when he was a Johnson dealer in Bakersfield, California and I was heading up outboard sales for OMC. What is really neat about Don is that once you know him, he becomes your friend and stays your friend no matter what. Just ask Slim Summerville, former partner and head of marketing and sales for Bayliner boats. Or check with Sonny Lodder of Lodder’s Marine in Cincinnati. They will tell you the same.
Even though I have not had any business dealings with Don for years and years, he calls me periodically just to check in and see how I am doing. And there is no business incentive for him to do that. He does it because he is a true friend. Don is still very energetic for a guy who is 80 years young. For example, he just recently went to South Dakota on a hunting trip with his son Mark, friend Sonny Lodder, and some other good buddies. And once a year he goes on a fishing trip with a group of friends to South America.
Don’s longtime friendship is what prompted me to write an article about this industry legend in the October 2013 issue of Soundings Trade Only. If you haven’t read it, check it out on page 42 of that issue. Or click on this link:
http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/component/content/article/4-features/526737-still-tuned-into-his-market
Don Galey is our industry’s true gentlemen. I got to know him in the 1960’s when I was with Johnson Outboards and was a newcomer to the industry. The knowledge and counsel he generously gave guided me then, and his personal commitment to advancing all the industry, particularly retailers, has been a model for all. If our industry had a Nobel Prize for outstanding contributions to boating, Dan would have it hands down. Great that he’s being recognized again!