French writer Anatole France (1844-1924) wrote, "To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." Charles Kemmons Wilson proved on more than one occasion that dreams not only helped him accomplish goals but were necessary for his life.

His father was an insurance salesman who died when Kemmons was nine months old leaving his 18 year old mother to care for him. Shortly thereafter, his mother, Doll, moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where she raised him. They had little money and often struggled for even the most basic necessities.

At fourteen years of age Wilson was hit by a car and told he would never walk again. With his mother's support he spent a year in therapy and was eventually able to walk. When Doll lost her job in the great depression Wilson dropped out of high school, against her wishes, and had a dream to succeed in life and never be poor again.

He borrowed $50 from a friend to buy a popcorn machine in a local theater. But the manager fired him for making more money than he did. But the girl he hired to sell popcorn, Dorothy Lee, became his wife of 59 years. From popcorn, he switched to the pinball machine business and used his first profits to pay for a house for his mother. He built the house, saving $1,700, by doing the work himself. He then mortgaged his house to buy a jukebox business and also started a successful home building business upon returning from serving in World War II.

In August 1951 the Wilson family took a vacation and traveled from Tennessee to Washington. Along the way they needed to stop and sleep in various inns. Wilson, a millionaire at this point in his life, was appalled at the squalor of many guest accommodations, but his anger was piqued by having to pay $2 extra for each of his five children.

He told his wife that he had a dream to start a hotel chain, one that did not charge extra for children, had clean and affordable rooms and offered the newly popular television and other amenities like a swimming pool and food. Plenty of people doubted his dream since there wasn't anything close to such a concept at that time.

On August 1, 1952 Wilson witnessed his second dream come true when he opened his first Holiday Inn at 4895 Summers Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee between a lumberyard and a two-lane highway.

In 1957, Wilson expanded his dream when he franchised the chain as Holiday Inn of America and watched it grow dramatically. By 1959, there were 100 locations across the country and 500 by 1964. Kemmons dream is still alive today as there are over 1,500 Holiday Inns around the world.