“Sometimes you don’t know what you have until it explodes in your face. Keep your eyes open. Be fleet on your feet.”
—Harold “Chubby” Hague, Businessman, Remarkable Dad, Toaster King
by Greg Hague
My dad’s nickname was Chubby. I never knew why though, he was so fit and trim. “A name he picked up in the Air Force during the war,” Mom said. I asked him once… “I had that name before I knew I had it!” he laughed. “My old war buddies stuck me with it. I still have no idea why. I mean, look at me!”
After the war, Chubby came back home to Cincinnati. Married mom. Had me and my sister, Linda. Many of those war buddies came home too, and they needed to buy homes. Dad saw an opportunity.
Dad’s Incredible Toaster Plan
A short exam. A fifty-cent fee. He picked up his real estate license at the local apothecary (how times have changed). The Harold W. Hague Company was born.
Dad worked incessantly. His company flourished. Most clients needed loans to buy homes. He saw another opportunity.
Dad founded Columbia Savings and Loan. Rented a small building right across the street from his real estate office. In those days, a savings & loan earned a profit the old fashioned way — by accepting deposits, then making loans from those deposits. Dad needed deposits.
Introducing Dad’s Incredible Toaster Plan!