Nine Lives of a Scouser

This is the unfolding story of a kid born in Liverpool in 1937. David C. Pickard grew up in the 1940s as Adolf Hitler tried to take over the world, often spending nights in a bomb shelter. Hitler failed, but it took England some time to return to a semblance of normal. During the 1950s, Pickard became an apprentice engineer at Cammell Laird & Co, entering the world of shipbuilding, which was defined by extremely low pay. During the 1960s, he worked at Joseph Lucas Hydraulics Division Laboratory, solving a longstanding problem on his very first week on the job. Even though his ingenuity allowed the company to introduce its product on the world stage, he was kicked in the backside, so he resigned and joined Ford Motor Co., Halewood, as a maintenance fitter. Six months later, he was promoted to supervisor. He enjoyed a successful career at a bevy of companies before losing his wife. It wasn’t until a beautiful lady picked him up and dusted him off that he discovered a new lust for life—as well as the thrill of running his own business.