Warriors

Warriors is an intimate look at a Dallas business icon, Rodger Meier, by his daughter, Stacy Meier Olds, who focuses on her father's autumn years and his special friendship with a Boston terrier named Charlie.

Rodger Meier was born in St. Louis in 1919 and was reared by foster parents. On their farm, which had a gas station, he grew to love animals, especially dogs, and also became entranced by cars, particularly the beauty and precision of Cadillacs. To help his family during the Depression, Meier worked at jobs like soda jerk and railroad messenger and went to college during World War II after being rejected by the military because of his poor eyesight. After working in the airline industry, Meier convinced a skeptical General Motors to award him a Cadillac dealership on what was then the north edge of Dallas. His lack of experience in the automobile industry was his greatest asset, Meier told the GM interviewers. As the dealership grew into one of the most successful in the country, Meier became a well-known business and community leader.

During the 1990s, Stacy Meier acquired Charlie, the Boston terrier. Meier came to be fast friends with Charlie and even more so after his wife, Joyce, passed away in 2000. Meier often took care of Charlie – he called it "doggie day care" – and Charlie became the mascot of Meier's retirement community. Later, both Charlie and Meier suffered strokes within a few months of each other. When Stacy took Charlie to Rodger's place for visits, the terrier proved to be the best medicine for her father as he adapted to new limitations.

In "Warriors," Stacy Meier Olds skillfully intersperses her own commentary with still photos and video footage from the family, GM, and awards ceremonies at the Dallas City Council and Senior Citizens of Greater Dallas. The well-paced production captures Rodger Meier's inspiring personal story, integrity, business success, devotion to family, service to the community, a life well lived – and a friendship with a dog.