Childhood recalled with trip to Overland Park

By Mark Abromaitis
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

John Erickson, founder and CEO of Erickson Communities, proved you can go home again.

The Ground Breaking Ceremony for Tallgrass Creek held in Overland Park, Kan. was a homecoming of sorts for Erickson and his family. John’s mother hailed from St. Joseph, Mo., about an hour north of the new community’s site.

‘Feels like home’
Erickson said the car rides he remembers throughout the Midwest to visit his Aunt Gertrude were a bit longer.

“I have roots in this area,” Erickson said as he addressed the crowd at Ground Breaking. “My mother and her whole family were from around here. I can remember as a little kid, there were 14 children in our family. We lived in Chatanooga, Tenn. I remember packing into the station-wagon and driving 11 hours on the old two lane roads just to see her.”

This time, Erickson’s Aunt Gertrude made the trip to see him and celebrate the community’s Ground Breaking.

Erickson continued, “We’d stay here for the weekend, and have the best time. Good food and good family. And then my father would turn around and drive us back. It’s special to be back here, and so good to see her again. It feels like home.”

Work ethic and education
From humble beginnings, Erickson’s father was a flower shop owner, and his mother instilled a tireless work ethic. Of his history, Erickson said, “I came from a relatively poor family in Tennessee. The thing that made the difference was that my mother taught us that education was the denominator in America to determine who you could be.”

He said, “All 14 of us ended up graduating from college, thanks to my mother pushing us out the door every day and telling us that we had to write the next term paper; or maybe she was writing it for me. I can’t remember,” he said with a smile.