Our father, "Dick" Stack, was a success in every sense of the word. He had a loving wife, five children, and many grandchildren who all loved him very much. Dick had many friends and was highly respected by his community and peers. Professionally, he was founder of DICK'S Sporting Goods, a bait-and-tackle store, that has grown to more than more than 800 sporting goods stores in 48 states across the country. This success was, at best ... difficult to come by. 

​

Dick's father died in a car accident when he was only seven years old. His mother struggled to raise him and four older siblings. School did not come easy for Dick. He graduated from Binghamton Central High School with the help of an endearing English teacher who told him, "I don't know what you'll do in life, but I know whatever it is, you'll succeed!"

​

To say Dick was determined would be an understatement. One of his favorite quotes was, "There is no such word as can't." Dick's first job out of High School was at a local army and navy surplus store. Fishing was one of his passions. Convincing his boss that fishing tackle might be a good addition, his boss gave him the task of writing a tackle order. Dick took this challenge very seriously. He worked for days on this responsibility and proudly handed in the completed order. His employer glanced over the order, looked at Dick, tore the order up and said, "You're nothing but a stupid kid who won't amount to anything." Devastated, Dick quit and walked out. The same day, he was hired in the Sporting Goods Department of a store called Montgomery Wards.

​

It was Dick's first day on his new job at "Wards." A gentleman came up to him and said, "If you had half the guts that your father had, you'd be in this business for yourself." Dick quit that job the same day. He went to his grandmother to tell her of his dream of opening his own business.  She asked him how much money would he need to get started.  Dick replied, "$300." His grandmother got up, walked across the kitchen, reached into her cookie jar sitting on the countertop and pulled out $300.  She handed him her hard earned savings and said "Follow your dreams."  Dick opened Dick's Bait and Tackle Shop on Court Street in Binghamton, New York.  He was 19 years old.

​

Things were not easy. Dick often worked sixteen, eighteen or even twenty hours a day. Within a few years, his perseverance paid off and things were going fairly well. So well, that Dick tried to open a second location. It was a failure. He was forced to close both stores. His strong sense of "right and wrong" would not let him leave even one dime unpaid to any creditor. Dick sold every­thing he had; including his house and car to pay off any debts. He took his wife and infant son and moved in with his in-laws.

 

It seemed over until a local banker telephoned Dick. Impressed by his drive and ambition, the bank loaned Dick enough money to start all over again.  What history doesn't know about Dick is how he treated people. He lead by example, never judging anyone by their looks or attire. He always treated them with the same respect as the person dressed in their finest. Dick was also a very generous man.  Dick was one of the founders of little league baseball in the Binghamton area and was instrumental in expanding the league from four teams to sixteen teams because he felt more kids should have the opportunity to play sports.  Fear of appearing self-serving, one of Dick's stipulations was the league could not to purchase uniforms from his store.

​

Giving back to the community has always been an important principle of DICK'S Sporting Goods as modeled by our father.  Community support continues to be a priority, as DICK'S Sporting Goods and The DICKS Sporting Goods Foundation have set a goal to help give 1 million kids the chance to play sports by 2024 through the Sports Matter program. This is the kind of success that defined our dad and we are proud to see his work continued in communities today.  Thank you for your interest in this scholarship and good luck in all you do today, tomorrow and always.  

​

Sincerely, 

​

Kim A. Stack-Myers