Etc...

What i did on my vacation

"I am really seeing the good side of Hawaii ... that a lot of people don't get to see," raved marine Quentin Gwynn, on liberty from the USS Bonhomme Richard, which was returning from deployment during the war with Iraq. So, how did his experience differ from that of any other tourist? Well, for starters, Gwynn pitched in to revive a teenager who'd come close to drowning at a beach on the island of Oahu, only to discover afterward that during the commotion, someone had made off with his girlfriend's backpack. In it were their wallets, credit cards, and other items of value. But then the local Honolulu Advertiser newspaper printed a story about their plight. Soon, donors couldn't do enough to show their appreciation for Gwynn's actions - postwar as well as during. They showered the couple with free meals, hotel accommodations, and other gifts.

In this era of cynicism about corporate management, Jim Collins, author of the book "Good to Great," set out to determine who were the top CEOs of all time. Using legacy, impact, resilience, and financial performance as his criteria, he found these giants had a deep connectedness to their firms. His top 10, the companies with which they made their marks, and their years at the helm, from the July 21 issue of Fortune magazine:

1. Charles Coffin, General Electric, 1892-1912
2. Bill Allen, Boeing, 1945-72
3. Sam Walton, Wal-Mart, 1962-88
4. George Merck, Merck & Co., 1925-57
5. Darwin Smith, Kimberly-Clark Co., 1971-91
6. James Burke, Johnson & Johnson, 1976-89
7. David Maxwell, Fannie Mae, 1981-91
8. William McKnight, 3M Co., 1929-66
9. Katherine Graham, Washington Post Co., 1973-91
10. David Packard, Hewlett-Packard Co., 1939-69, 1971-93