Pierre Baruzy: The Crazy French Man

Has your host ever escorted you to your hotel room doing handstands?

I met Pierre in 1953 when I was accompanying my father on his trip to France. As soon after the war as was practical, my father had started establishing foreign companies to produce and sell Clipper saws and blades locally since it was extremely hard and expensive to import them from Kansas City. Pierre had been selected as the head of Clipper France not only because he was a good man but, most importantly, the president of Norton France who would be our supplier of blades for cutting brick, concrete block, etc.

Norton was a leading manufacturer of grinding wheels all over the world. Their primary customers were companies like Ford Motor and General Motors where Norton supplied grinding wheels for machining automotive parts. Becoming a supplier to Clipper, they had entered an entirely new market: supplying blades under the Clipper label for cutting structural glazed tile, brick and concrete block. Clipper had become Norton's single largest customer in the U.S., so it was natural to look to them as a supplier in other countries. This led to my father making the president of Norton in each country a partner in that country’s local Clipper operation.

At the time I met him, Pierre was in his 60s and in remarkable shape. On the first night of our visit, while taking us down the hall to our Paris hotel room, he expressed exuberance for the evening by doing handstands as we proceeded down the hall. At a fraction of his age, I would not have attempted that.

Pierre and his wife, Simone, were a fascinating couple. As head of Norton during the Second World War, Pierre had secretly been part of the French underground. He was also a member of the very select group of French gourmets who rated Paris restaurants.

His wife, Simone, was a quintessential French lady, petite and always beautifully dressed.

Going to a Paris restaurant with Pierre and Simone was like opening up a whole new world where people of refined tastes were enjoying fine food and drink. Everyone knew who he was, and we were always given a prime table and received impeccable service.

Although I got to know a number of the Clipper foreign managers, Pierre was always my favorite. It was sad day when Pierre passed away.