Visited My Old Place Of Employment Last Thursday

[Henry]

IBM celebrates its 100th Anniversary this year, although it has not been known as IBM for the last 100 years.  It started off as The Computer Tabulating Company, or something like that and the name was changed a few years later by Thomas Watson to IBM.

Paul Castrucci, former Plant Manager gave a presentation on Making Memories, The Golden Years, 1960-1990.  I felt honored that he sent me a special invitation and asked me if it was OK to say a few words about me.  Another local individual from Westford was asked to get up and say a few words.  He was a young engineer in the early years and he brought along his foot long slide rule, which in those early years were used instead of the little computers we have today.  He used to have two slide rules, a little six inch one, for less precise answers and the 12 inch one when he wanted to get down to the real nitty gritty.  He gave an excellent presentation of how things used to be, vs how they are now.  The whole presentation was done on a laptop computer, something that wasn't there when I retired 19 years ago.  Ed Chase retired 4 years ago with 40 years of service at IBM.  I couldn't place him, as I still pictured him as that young brilliant skinny kid, so was indeed happy when I heard his name mentioned and went over to speak with him.

Amazing how things have changed.  There was nobody wearing a tie or white shirt.  The younger people who came to the meeting were dressed in jeans and sport shirts and were all toting backpacks.  There was no foil projector visible to show foils with marked up highlights.  Highlights were used in my time as we did not have color foils.

I was quite proud to see so many old friends, although I do have to admit I had to ask most of them what their names were.

We have come a long way and it is amazing how we accomplished as much as we did without all this modern technology.  I truly enjoyed myself as I listened to people reminiscing about the old days.  It was a great place to work.

[Scott]

Henry, rest assured there are still a few that wear ties to work. I know of 2 in building 975. Yes it's a different workplace now (even from when I started 17 years ago). But we have to take what we can get.

[Mike Raburn]

It's a new ERA Henry, not a good one, but new.

Thanks to you and all of your tie wearing brethren I am posting this via an IBM compatible computer, thingey......

Remember when these magic boxes came out, they had the label of IBM compatible???

I do.

I had a wicked 2400 baud modem and I SCREAMED!

Thank you IBMers and Henry to boot!


Scott, really, still going with the kilt?
Get some sun on them legs.
You look like a halibut. Really.

[mkr]

Thanks to my Dad and IBM, I am doing what I do today based on all the opportunities I got from IBM.  My first real computer (not connected to a tv) was when Dad got an IBM PC jr for the house.  I fell in love with programming.  As I got older, my Dad discovered the Boy Scouts were doing an explorer post at IBM and they did Basica and C programming. So yup, you guessed it, I got to be a Boy Scout for 3 years.  This iinvolved my Dad driving home from IBM only to turn around and bring me back for the 2 hour meeting once a week.

By the time I actually got to take a computer class at BFA, I knew more than the teacher; Hee Hee. I won't say his name, but let's just say he was not a fan of me correcting him in class because of all I learned at IBM, for free!

Thanks Daddy and IBM for helping me learn my craft and allow me to love what I do for a living!

[Mike Raburn]

C programing!!!

I haven't heard that term for a few "years"!

That is cool the BSA and IBM did an Explorer group for that.
I wonder where the OTHER Explores ended up?

That would be neat to track down MKR.

[mkr]

I have tried to track down a couple of the guys, but no luck.  It was a very cool opportunity!