Friday, August 10, 2012

A Witness to Technological Innovation

Lockheed Martin has been my first and only job since 1965
by Pat P.

I’ve worked at Lockheed Martin since 1965. It was my first and only job – I was 19 years old. It has been my “other home” and I have seen so many changes! I started out in what was called the Tech Pubs department in Huntsville. We all typed on an IBM Executive Typewriter that had interchangeable keys, which meant that when we typed equations, we had to change the keys manually. Once I got the hang of it, things went pretty fast. In 1977, our typewriters were serviced by Louis Matthews, who later came to work at Lockheed Martin in 1996 and, like me, is still working here!

I was at work when the Space Shuttle Challenger fell from the sky – I’ll remember that sad day forever. And I was at work on Sept. 11 and we watched it unfold on television with disbelief and horror. Those were the sad days but most days I look back on were just terrific. I have met so many wonderful people and have made such good friends over these years.

Pat busy at work on the IBM Executive Typewriter.