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TENACIOUS: The Bob Masterson Story
BOB MASTERSON'S life journey is truly something spectacular that belongs in Ripley's Believe It or Not! He started his Vietnam War service as a fearless Huey crew chief door gunner. But after earning his own wings, he personally menaced the enemy from the cockpit of a Cobra gunship as an aircraft commander. His audacious civilian rescue of his three adopted Vietnamese children under fire during the fall of Saigon is a testament to the incredible feats one can achieve with guts and grit. Bob's civilian career began as the teen leader of a Chicago street gang and culminated in leading Ripley's Believe It or Not!'s transformation into a multi-billion-dollar globally recognized brand. This remarkable memoir serves as an inspiration for what's best in all of us.
122 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 29, 2025
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May 21, 2025
‘Smarts, talent, and a legacy of love’ – A significant tribute
Multitalented Don Steele, PhD is a university professor, a teacher of Family Business and Leadership Development, a consultant and coach in sports, entertainment, and business, as well as a musician and author recognized for his sensitive and inspiring historical biographies. His books to date include Decoding the IT Factor, No Soldier Left Behind, The Mindset of a Dyslexic Entrepreneur, and now TENACIOUS: The Bob Masterson Story. One of the many reasons Dr Steele’s books are so impressive is his ability to transform a biography of a fascinating and successful person into a mesmerizing observation of the history of American life, economy, military, and the impact of laudable individuals on society.
The life of Bob Masterson, born in 1946 to an impoverished family inn Chicago, traces the story of a lad whose initiation into life included leading a gang on the streets of Chicago, fearlessly fighting his way for street justice, serving as a shoeshine boy, arrested for theft and being housed in a home for juveniles, avoiding incarceration, and ending his education after the 9th grade. Despite his lack of formal training, his innate intelligence achieved the highest score on the Army Admission Test, introducing him to the Army in 1965 at age 18, due in part to a compassionate judge, offering him an alternative to prison! That military decision opened the gates for his training at various Army sites including flight school training and his service as a Huey helicopter crew chief in Vietnam and subsequently achievements with the Cobra Attack Helicopter, flying both rescue and attack missions in the DMZ in Vietnam in 1970.
While in Vietnam, Masterson met and married Phai, a literate and gifted mother of three, and after leaving Vietnam he began his commendable life as a family man, first rescuing his adopted children from the now Communist inhabited South Vietnam, and moving his family to Florida where he engaged in working for Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! company – magic museums, aquariums, leisure world parks, cartoons, publishing – rising to the top of the wealthy company. His further achievements include the highly successful Great Wolf Lodge franchise in Ontario, Canada and around the world. As Dr Steele quotes Masterson, “I learned leadership, negotiating, directing, legal, all those things at Ripley’s. But the military was the foundation, and then my work career accounted for the rest of it.”
In addition to relating the life of a war hero and an exemplary businessman with skills hailed by not only experts but also his business associates, this excellent biography adds insights to periods of American history too often neglected by authors. Masterson’s life of fearlessness and resilience includes his management of his own recurrent bouts with carcinoma as well as his management of his wife’s battle with lung cancer. His intelligence and acumen are matched by his legacy of love – from tough beginnings to fame and wealth. He is a model worthy of emulating, and this book stands as a tribute to his impact. Highly recommended
Multitalented Don Steele, PhD is a university professor, a teacher of Family Business and Leadership Development, a consultant and coach in sports, entertainment, and business, as well as a musician and author recognized for his sensitive and inspiring historical biographies. His books to date include Decoding the IT Factor, No Soldier Left Behind, The Mindset of a Dyslexic Entrepreneur, and now TENACIOUS: The Bob Masterson Story. One of the many reasons Dr Steele’s books are so impressive is his ability to transform a biography of a fascinating and successful person into a mesmerizing observation of the history of American life, economy, military, and the impact of laudable individuals on society.
The life of Bob Masterson, born in 1946 to an impoverished family inn Chicago, traces the story of a lad whose initiation into life included leading a gang on the streets of Chicago, fearlessly fighting his way for street justice, serving as a shoeshine boy, arrested for theft and being housed in a home for juveniles, avoiding incarceration, and ending his education after the 9th grade. Despite his lack of formal training, his innate intelligence achieved the highest score on the Army Admission Test, introducing him to the Army in 1965 at age 18, due in part to a compassionate judge, offering him an alternative to prison! That military decision opened the gates for his training at various Army sites including flight school training and his service as a Huey helicopter crew chief in Vietnam and subsequently achievements with the Cobra Attack Helicopter, flying both rescue and attack missions in the DMZ in Vietnam in 1970.
While in Vietnam, Masterson met and married Phai, a literate and gifted mother of three, and after leaving Vietnam he began his commendable life as a family man, first rescuing his adopted children from the now Communist inhabited South Vietnam, and moving his family to Florida where he engaged in working for Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! company – magic museums, aquariums, leisure world parks, cartoons, publishing – rising to the top of the wealthy company. His further achievements include the highly successful Great Wolf Lodge franchise in Ontario, Canada and around the world. As Dr Steele quotes Masterson, “I learned leadership, negotiating, directing, legal, all those things at Ripley’s. But the military was the foundation, and then my work career accounted for the rest of it.”
In addition to relating the life of a war hero and an exemplary businessman with skills hailed by not only experts but also his business associates, this excellent biography adds insights to periods of American history too often neglected by authors. Masterson’s life of fearlessness and resilience includes his management of his own recurrent bouts with carcinoma as well as his management of his wife’s battle with lung cancer. His intelligence and acumen are matched by his legacy of love – from tough beginnings to fame and wealth. He is a model worthy of emulating, and this book stands as a tribute to his impact. Highly recommended
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