The late J. Kirby Risk II called himself "a small-town businessman from
the banks of the Wabash." He was much more. The fastidious, dapper man
from Lafayette, Indiana, exuded philanthropy and free enterprise. Like a
sheepdog, he tended the flock, rounded up strays, darted to key places
to close up stragglers, and nudged everyone toward a common goal.
Sometimes his stubborn persistence caused clashes. His demanding
behavior was for good, no matter what others thought. That was Kirby's
way. Kirby's integrity was the basis for his two occupations. His first
career was compassion, and his second career was the building of the
battery company he cofounded in 1926 with $500 borrowed from his father.
Today, Kirby Risk Corporation is a multimillion-dollar electrical
products and services industry headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana, and
led by Kirby's son, Jim. Kirby's Way captures the essence of this
imitable gentleman, who with his wife of fifty-five years, Caroline,
raised four children, gave time, money, and meals to strangers,
refugees, Purdue University students, and their beloved community, while
building from their kitchen table a successful Midwest corporation. He
believed in "sacrificial service." Kirby noticed people. He recognized
their importance. In turn, they loved him and wanted to help him. He
dwelled on his favorite song, "Mankind is My Business." Relationships
shaped his success. Kirby was quiet about his deeds. He lived the Bible
passage, Matthew 6:3-"But when you do a kindness to someone, do it
secretly-do not tell your left hand what your right hand is doing."
Kirby Risk may not have wanted this book. Yet he would have esteemed it
as a parable, a spiritual truth that compels readers to discover
certainties for themselves. From heaven, he tends the flock and rounds
up strays, so more people might live Kirby's Way.
