This column serves as a spotlight, highlighting the everyday people who work and live in Callaway County. The Fulton Sun takes a moment with someone who is not usually featured in the news, but is just as instrumental in making our community the strong and beautiful place we all know and love.
George McKinzie is a native of the Calwood area and attended North Callaway High School. McKinzie moved to Fulton in February and currently works the fryer at Arby's in Kingdom City. He has family members in Fulton and Calwood.
Q. What was your first job?
A. My first job was at Subway in Kingdom City making sandwiches. I've only ever worked in Kingdom City.
Q. Who most inspires you (living or dead)?
A. You know, I guess I would answer Reggie Fils-Aimé, the (former) president of Nintendo of America. He kind of started from nothing, I think that's kind of cool. When you can come up from nothing to running one of the biggest companies in the world.
Q. What have you done in life that was most fulfilling?
A. I'd say probably running track. I love to do the 1-mile, 2-mile and the 800 (meter dash).
Q. What is something that you are proud of that you have been recognized for?
A. I guess that I have a good work motivation. People will notice it when I work, and it's nice to have it recognized.
Q. What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?
A. I want to be a (video) game designer. I've been playing video games my whole life, and they've always kept me out of trouble. I feel like a lot of kids get into trouble nowadays because they don't have anything to do. I remember playing Pokémon growing up, and it always kept me out of trouble while I was younger and kept me off of drugs and stuff.
Q. What profession would you not like to do?
A. Probably cutting down trees for a living. Just because I did it so much with my stepdad because that's what he did, so I did it for a little while and just learned that it wasn't for me.
Q. What is something that nobody would be able to assume about you?
A. Probably that I can run a six- to seven-minute mile. You wouldn't look at me and think I'd be able to do that.
Q. What is your favorite thing about Callaway County?
A. Probably the people for the most part. There's a lot of really nice people that live around here.