The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-26

 GUS manager.
 On his fathers farm down in Sumter county this young Barnum rode calves bareback around mimic sawdust rings while imaginary clowns did their funny stunts in the surrounding arena Of the COW lot He did tight rope walking along the roof of the barn and fancy aerobatic work among the rafters and girders Of the horse stalls.
 His mothers COW was the monster mp popotamus from the wids of Africa and the yearlings represented lions and tigers from the wilds of every land
 Those were rosy, rolliclsing days, full Of dreams and high intentions. But dreams do not always come true.
 However, this boy was a success and today a circus parade through the streets attracts but slight notice and he would hardly change places with the loudest mouthed circus manager in the land.
 Our lives drift into strange channels. We land on strange shores. Unknown winds bear our ship into unexpected ports.
  history of the south was the turning point in the life of Richard Walter Massey On the charred timbers, twisted steel framework and temporary despair of fallen and ruined city he laid the pillars of his fortune.
 He represented that spirit of confidence and good judgment that always come to the relief of temporary panic and keeps the world moving forward He took a long risk but his judgment and courage won out and today Mir Massey is one of the strongest financial figures in Bir- mingham though his interests extend to every corner of the south.
 At the time of the big Jacksonville fire several years ago Mir. Massey had saved q little money from the operation of his first chain of business colleges at Co., lumbus, Ga. He recognized an opportun- ity for investment and spread his small savings over some of the burned-over ground in Jacksonville.
 He had struggled against odds all his life up to this time, working out the hard problems in that severe school of expert
 
 whatever be our choice.
 His judgment was good and he cleaned I'D handsomely.
 But we have begun at the wrong end of this story.
 The subject of this sketch is a product of the great alfalfa belt of Alabama. He was born on a farm near Sumter vile, in Sumter county. October 2s, 1S6s He did not escape until he was IS years of age. which was probably brought about by his father moving to Texas.
 The elder Massey was a Baptist min ister and farmer. Young Massey at tended the common country schools of Sumter until the family removed to Texas when Richard Walter was entered at Baylor university, the leading denomina tional school of the southwest.
 After leaving the university MT. Mas eey stopped for about year at Austin, where he organized a fire insurance com pany, which has proven quite successful He was secretary and treasurer while connected with the company.
 Tn 1887 he came to Birming gham and at tempted his first business college venture. He rented rooms over Drennen & Co.'S store, then located on Third avenue in the building now occupied by Hood & wheeler. He began this venture without . dollar, buying the necessary furnish ings for the school on credit.
 After a precarious existence for two years he gave up the venture and went to Rome, Ga, where he held the chair of mathematics and commercial branches in Shorter college for one term.
 At the end of this term, in 1891, he went to Columbus, Ga, and established the first of his present chain of busi- ness colleges A year later he married Miss Bessie Spencer of Columbus, a cousin of the late Samuel Spencer, presi- dent of the Southern Railway company.
 It was about this time also that he made his Jacksonville Fla, investments that put him on easy street.
 A branch school at Jacksonville fol- lowed Later he established a school at Montgomery, then at Birmingham and later extended to Houston, Tex, and Richmond, Va. MT. Massey owns the buildings occupied by his schools with the exception of the one at Richmond.