I'd suspected it through his numerous acts of kindness toward myself and others, his friendly demeanor, his intelligent and knowledgeable grasp of the business he owns, and his willingness to personally step into any roles some lazy teenager suddenly not showing up would leave him without cover for. There were all qualities I'd not seen in any of my bosses until this summer, nor even really heard of in other peoples'...

I've become certain of it now. I picked up my last paycheck before heading back to college today. Inside was a significant extra sum with a little note stapled on reading, "good luck in college :)".
I feel blessed to have known him before I could have grown jaded forever about higher-ups in businesses competence, kindness, and humanity levels, and it would be a pleasure to work for him again over my next breaks from college.