By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff Monday, March 29th, 2010

The first time I asked Fess Parker to keynote the Business Times’ Spirit of Small Business Awards, his office had a polite reply: “Thanks, but no thanks.”

A year later, I tried again. I called his office around noontime and got no farther than an assistant who said she was going to lunch. “Try back later,” she said.

I tried again later — 15 minutes later. The phone rang for a long time. Then a familiar voice came on the line.

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