I’m wondering about the first 14 years of J. R. Simplot’s life. Simplot’s death at 99 made the front page of the Oregonian and now I’m thinking again about the role of hardship. When Simplot went out on his own as a 14-year-old, his mother gave him four $20 gold coins. Over the years he turned that $80 into more than three billion. I’m guessing the first 14 years had a profound impact on the next 85.