Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1414964
2 I PSAI Association Insight, September 29, 2021 Andy did not have work for his trucks, so he bought and hauled Christmas trees from Oregon and rented a sales lot in the Los Angeles area. The gentleman who owned the lot was a cesspool and sewer contractor. This man taught the young Gump every- thing that he knew about this industry as well as the potential for a housing boom now that the War was over. Always looking for an oppor- tunity to explore, Andy purchased the company for $300 and started to work. Andy and Irma had a growing family as well. Sons Barry and Bill and daughter Cherilyn brought much joy to their parents. As far as the future company is concerned, it is Barry Gump that we will profile later in this piece. On construction sites, Andy became aware of a Los Angeles city ordinance that required a "restroom for workers." Intrigued by this opportunity, the ever- resourceful Gump considered building wooden restrooms for these sites. Andy assembled scrap plywood and with the help of sons Barry and Bill (both in junior high school), he constructed five wooden units in the garage of their home. Andy called the new company Mission Sanitation, as the family lived near the San Fernando Mission. Wooden units were painted on the exterior to offer some protection from the weather. As Barry recounted later, "Our sign painter, Larry Fontana, in Pacoima suggested that Dad might want to use his name on the outside of his units. Dad said that he wasn't sure that he wanted his name on a portable restroom, but thought, 'Let's give it a try.' And he did." As more units were constructed by Andy and his sons, apparently once again Larry Fontana the painter further suggested to include "Another Andy Gump" to emphasize the fact that several more units were on other jobsites in the area. With wife Irma and daughter Cherilyn taking orders and typing invoices, the "Andy Gump Sanitation Company" began to grow in the Los Angeles Area. Andy Gump Company – Life Lessons for Us All (continued from page 1) childhood in Colorado where his parents opened a small gas station and cafe. He began using his childhood nickname "Andy," which was derived from the popular comic strip from the 1930s of the same name. Andy married his high school sweetheart, Irma Dunlap, and he then began his career as a teacher, but the economic world was about to change for the entire country. As with many Americans in the Midwest working hard to both endure the Great Depression as well as the "Dust Bowl" and a ruined agricultural economy, in 1936 the Gump Family moved to Pacoima, California, in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. Once in California, Andy worked as a mechanic as well as a truck driver, hauling sand and gravel to make concrete for the War Effort. When World War II ended, (continued on page 3) An older Andy and wife Irma