You actually put a penny in the slot at the top front of the shoe in case of emergencies.,

On my tenth birthday, Dad had a practice of taking us to work with him. He was a sales manager at the time and worked in Jersey City. On the way there he bought me a pair of brown cordovan leather penny loafers. He prepared me to meet his business colleagues by reminding me how to act around other people. I suppose he was giving me the same information he heard from his schoolmasters at the exclusive private schools he attended. Dad put it in such a way that explained that because we were Ortons, and privileged, there was an expectation we were raised right and therefore we must find those opportunities to demonstrate this to others. Whenever he saw me doing something impolite, he might smack me lightly on the back of my head and say “Marc, come on. Have some class about yourself.” On the way to his job, this is a short list of the many things he reminded me to do to be classy:

• When you greet people stand up
• Always give a firm handshake
• Look people in the eye
• Say “excuse me” when you walk between people in conversation
• Call men “mister” and women “misses”
• Open doors for others, particularly women
• Always allow women to go through the door first
• Say “please” and “thank you”
• Forks go to the left, knives and spoons to the right
• Button only the top button of the sport jacket
• Don’t interrupt
• Hats off in the house and before you eat
• Always keep clean fingernails
• Your appearance is important
• Polish your shoes often

Dad also told me something in private I will never forget. Something he would repeat to me in private until the day he died about sixteen years later. He said, “Marc you are going to be the successful one, believe me, I can tell. I am going to be so proud of you some day.”  I’m not sure if he said that to all us, or whether he really felt I had something to offer the world. I chose to believe the latter, and his support helped motivate me through all kinds of challenges and decisions in my life. The outcome from all of this was I never felt nervous at a posh event, nor have I ever felt anxious when I’ve had to interact with top executives and captains of industry — which I do quite often. Dad gave me the confidence and guidelines to follow to fit in and be classy, and I believe that has served me well.