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Donald McNeely made his fortune in the warehouse business. “A savvy entrepreneur and a forward thinker, he joined his father’s business, The St. Paul Terminal Warehouse Company after the war and turned it into a national company called Space Center, Inc.” (St. Paul Pioneer Press obituary) Donald was instrumental in helping to launch many of Minnesota’s organizations including the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Twins.

However, one of his passions is housed here on the campus of St. John’s University on the third floor of Simons Hall. The `Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship’ is dedicated to giving young men and women the skills to succeed in business. Every year the Entrepreneur Scholars participate in special classes and work with mentors to strengthen the entrepreneurial spirit. As a recovering entrepreneur, I deeply appreciate this educational resource. Details are at www.csbsju.edu/cfe

I crossed paths with Donald McNeely in 1986. Jimmy Dorr and I had opened the Knoll Office Furniture showroom in the International Market Square. Jimmy was big on design but I insisted that we print temporary calling cards immediately, not waiting until his graphic designer perfected his concept. As it happened Jimmy’s locker at the Minneapolis Athletic Club was near the locker of the President of Space Center. He apologized for the quality of the printing, but handed it to his buddy and told him about our new venture. To make a long story short, that exchange lead to a $250,000 order for Knoll furniture including Knoll carpet which was top of the line. Donald McNeely kept his old furniture, but all around him was state-of-the art modern contemporary furniture influenced by the Bauhaus school of design. Never go anywhere without your calling card.

The APHC show this week is a look back to the second of two bonus May shows from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Jim James sings “Here in Spirit” and “Wonderful (The Way I Feel),” Aimee Mann performs “You Never Loved Me” and “Goose Snow Cone,” and Hari Kondabolu shares a few thoughts on the Roman Empire and mom jokes. Plus: Chris Thile with his final Season 1 Song of the Week, “Feedback Loop,” Jerry Douglas plays “What If,” the band tackles Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut” for the Powdermilk Instant Song Request, and Bertrand Falstaff Heine reviews the local daycare facilities. Enjoy the show on your radio or your computer or smart phone.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with the cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt