Who

Larry Pendley says he hated the heat and dust while driving a truck in a gravel pit, but he loved the paychecks.
Rod Aydelotte / Waco Tribune-Herald

Larry Pendley, owner of Pendley Party Productions, Inc.

His wife, Paulette, started the company in 1991 to fill what she saw as a void of party-production companies in the area. Pendley said he joined her full time in 1999 because the operation became too large for just her.

He previously worked 18 years at IBM as a marketing representative in the Central Texas area.

First summer job

Pendley’s first summer job was as a truck driver in a gravel pit. Other company workers dug gravel out of the ground and loaded it into Pendley’s truck. He would haul it a few miles and dump it from a ramp, 25 feet off the ground.

“It was dusty and dirty within confines of the pit,” Pendley said. “We dug a lot of gravel off Highway 6 on both sides.”

Age

Pendley was 16 years old when he starting driving the gravel trucks.

He got the job from connections his father had. His father simply told him “this is what you’re going to do.”

Pay

Pendley made $1.25 per hour. His shift was from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., working more than 40 hours per week. He saved his money for clothes, going on dates and concerts, he said.

Loved

He “knew checks were going to be good,” Pendley said.

Hated

“I hated the heat and the dust,” he said. “It was not very mentally stimulating. It was a typical summer job.”

Pendley said the scary part was when he got on the ramp in his truck loaded with gravel because the weight could flip the truck over if he was not careful.

Lessons learned

“The early bird gets the worm,” Pendley said. “That’s an old one but it still works.”

He also said he learned an appreciation for keeping his vehicle and equipment maintained properly.

“Every day we would check oil, fluids and do a maintenance check,” he said.

Advice on summer jobs

“Make connections with adults,” Pendley said. “Not only as friends of your parents but people that could be future employers. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

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