Texas History, Unfiltered

Charles Henry Nimitz, a German immigrant who'd joined the merchant marine at fourteen, arrived in Fredericksburg with the town's first settlers in 1846 and built a hotel on Main Street in 1852. It grew into a genuine local landmark, offering the only hot baths between San Antonio and El Paso, along with a brewery, saloon, and general store, and was later expanded with an unusual steamboat-shaped facade.
His grandson Chester was born across the street in 1885 and never knew his own father, who died before Chester was born. Charles became the boy's father figure instead, and Chester later credited his grandfather's steady advice, that the sea and life alike are stern taskmasters best handled by learning all you can and not worrying over what you can't control, with shaping his entire outlook.
That calm reportedly served Nimitz well throughout his naval career, including a court-martial after running a ship aground in 1908, which he handled by setting up a cot ...