Bethel Navy JROTC Cadets learn about the American Dream

By Cadets Ian Melvin and Andersen DeRosier, Bethel NJROTC

            Last week the third-year cadets of the Navy JROTC program at Bethel High School visited the Malcolm Pray Achievement Center in Bedford, New York and met Malcolm Pray himself.  The purpose of the visit was for these cadets to have the opportunity to speak and interact with a self-made millionaire and patriotic American.

Malcolm Pray was born in New York City and grew up in Greenwich and started as an ordinary car salesman.  Through his dedication and emphasis on building strong relationships with his customers and business associates, he became the owner of a single Volkswagen dealership and branched out to Porsche and Audi along the way.  By applying his strong work ethic, he reached a level of success not attained by many, becoming a multi-millionaire.  Some say he was lucky, but we learned from Mr. Pray that “luck is where preparation meets opportunity”.  His dealership became number one in the country and he was also a founding member of the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) and was the organization’s president from 1973-1974.

Mr. Pray’s success can be measured by his magnificent vintage car collection which the cadets had the opportunity to see and had the thrill of sitting behind the wheel of some great classics, like the actual 1956 Sunbeam Alpine driven by Grace Kelly and Cary Grant in the movie To Catch a Thief.  His oldest car is a 1904 Metz.  The Metz had a hand crank start and headlights that turned with the front wheels which was very innovative for its time.  The newest vehicle in his collection is a 1996 Bentley.  His collection represents “100 years of automotive history” as Mr. Pray likes to say.  The sight of a Type 135 M Delahaye (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delahaye_135) beside a 1937 Bugatti (http://images.conceptcarz.com/imgxra/Bugatti/37-Bugatti-T57C_Vanvooren-DV-12-PBC_01.jpg) is a vintage car lover’s dream.  Just as the cars acted as incentive for him early in his life, Mr. Pray hopes for these cars do the same for the cadets and all visitors who are granted the invaluable chance to stop in the Achievement Center and marvel at the sight of these vehicles.  But when he has his audience captured, Mr. Pray also explains the history of the automobile industry and how some companies were a great success while others failed.  His message of business ethics and how to treat your customers and your employees was a great lesson for the cadets.

Mr. Pray taught the cadets about living the American Dream, entrepreneurship, working in the “people” business (which encompasses all business), and the pursuit of success. His overarching message was that in order to make the most of every opportunity that comes your way, you must be prepared for all scenarios and outcomes. That way, luck plays a minimal role in building success. When it was all said and done, our cadets returned to Bethel High School enlightened and with a revitalized perception of entrepreneurship. It was an invaluable experience and we hope all visitors can take away the same lessons as the cadets.  More information about the Malcolm Pray Achievement Center is available at:  http://prayachievementcenter.com/html/achievement.html