George Solis has been an employee of ABC since its inception, even before, having worked with me in various capacities since 1986. We first met when George was a night attendant at a service station in Austin. George’s home was the cab of his Chevy Luv pickup truck and he used the station’s restroom as his bathroom and the cold water hose for showers. He was one step from being homeless.

I immediately recognized George’s outgoing and amicable nature, and offered him some odd jobs at my house and helping to complete the closing of my former herb business, Sweethardt Herbs. George impressed me with his intense desire for hard work, his fast pace, and his positive attitude.

Eventually, when I founded ABC in 1988, George was right there, helping in many ways. And ever since, for ABC’s entire 15-year history, George has been an integral part of the organization. He has held many positions and has been ABC’s jack-of-all-trades. Currently, one of his primary responsibilities is to photocopy the thousands of pages of HerbClip articles every two weeks, collate and insert them into envelopes, and ensure that they are mailed to hundreds of ABC members who receive this membership benefit.

George has a host of other vital responsibilities at ABC. He makes daily runs to the post office – picking up mail in the morning, processing all outgoing mail and taking it to the post office in the afternoon. He also helps with processing orders for books, monographs and other educational materials. He takes the daily deposit to bank. He is responsible for ABC’s recycling program and handles much of the physical maintenance of ABC’s building, including helping in ABC’s gardens. Without George’s hard work and positive energy, ABC could not be the organization it is today.

–Mark Blumenthal