by Mary Frances C.
I started at Lockheed-Georgia on September 17, 1951. I was 18 and just
out of high school. At the time, I worked on the top mezzanine, where there was
no air conditioning. Needless to say, we got extremely warm. One of the ladies
in my department went to the B-2 Building and got to see Jimmy Carmichael (the
first general manager of Lockheed-Georgia) to tell him we needed air. He sent over
fans for us to use.
At the time, we had 24,000 people there. The traffic was horrible and
leaving at 3:30 with thousands of people was a challenge, but we made it just
fine.
I worked in 17 different departments at Lockheed, including the employment
office on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, across from Crawford Long Hospital and the
Tower Theater. I worked in several departments on the line, and I worked on the
C-5 proposal. That was an amazing effort, and I worked seven days a week, 12
hours a day!
My husband started working at Lockheed in 1953 when he got out of the
Army, and he stayed until 1990 when he retired. I had to leave in 1975 due to
sickness and the death of my father.
Of all the places I have worked in my life, Lockheed was definitely my favorite.
That was one job I didn’t mind going to everyday. We had good wages and
excellent benefits. If I could have stayed at Lockheed Martin and could still
be working, I would be starting my 62nd year!
