Celebrating Ernest Centenarian in Chief, Charles Wilson.

A 100th BIRTHDAY PARTY LIKE ZERO OTHERS

When it came to celebrating Charles Wilson’s centennial birthday, there was no way we were going to go small. Especially for the man who started from nothing, became a decorated sergeant in WWII and still to this day gets up every day to go to work. He’s a true inspiration to us all. So since our Chairman and CEO has been on Earth for 36,500 days, you can be damn sure he’s pretty much seen it all—from sliced bread to man walking on the moon. Which means we had to throw a never-before-seen party. Something that Chuck and the rest of us would remember for the rest of our lives. And on Friday, June 14, boy did we deliver.

600+ IS A PRETTY GOOD TURNOUT

All 15 divisions had parties of their own to celebrate our co-founder, then dialed into the Zoom. After an intro from Tim and a wonderful speech from Charles’ grandson, Henry, the whole crew sang Happy Birthday to Charles. From Raleigh to Houston, SLC to SLO, Ernest rang in the event like only we can. We even had guests from north of the border, as Charles’ Canadian cousins were in attendance. We all had an afternoon of fun to honor our resident birthday boy. And what would a birthday be like without presents? First, we bestowed Chuck with another prize to go with his vast collection of commendations. This one was unique, though, because it was a bronze coin emblazoned with his own words, “Every day is a gift.” Next, he received a framed collage from the Ernest CMO, Scott Gardner, with a badge in the center that read, “100 Reasons We Love Mr. Wilson.” Last but not least, he was presented with a video tribute titled, “They Call Him Chuck.” Check it out, here.

WHO ORDERED THE DANCE FLOOR?

We did, of course. After the presentation, it was time for lunch and to hit the dance floor. Lunch was centered around the not-so-delicious food of the depression: meatloaf, beans and pickles. But the humble spread was offset by a delicious dessert of candy bars and cookies. Then to top it all off? The entertainment. Since Charles has always loved the old nickel-a-dance back in the ‘30s and ‘40s, we thought it’d be perfect to keep the music going from that era for the birthday bash. With live music by Douglas “The Crooner” Roegiers and his orchestra, our very own Mr. Wilson got a chance to belt out a few tunes. Plus, he took a foxtrot down memory lane to the Santa Monica Pier where he and his brother Ernie used to dance the nights away. We even brought in swing dancers dressed from the era to help the rest of us remember the steps.

THE ERNEST WALK OF FAME

Aside from the fact that we all got a chance to celebrate right along with Chuck for his 100th birthday, there was one more momentous moment. To memorialize all of his achievements and legacy, we thought it only fitting to create a true Hollywood premiere event. In the Hollywood Boulevard tradition, we had Chairman Charles put his handprints in wet cement and sign his name above. The paparazzi came in droves and we got some great press, including KTLA interviewing Mr. Wilson and Tim, as well as news articles posted in the Boston Globe, Yahoo Finance, Morningstar, etc. We were fortunate enough to get the company that actually produces all the stars on Hollywood Blvd to create two of our own special stars for our newly created Walk of Fame. Although, of course, our stars are chevrons. And while we’re super excited to recognize all those that have made Ernest so special throughout the years, these two chevrons are for our founders, Ernest and Chuck Wilson. So as Chuck continues to walk down the sidewalk and up the stairs to work in the morning, he can be reminded of what he worked so hard to build with his brother.

And, of course, so can we.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Wilson.