Dad began at “the plant” in 1941
by Bonnie C.
The year was 1941. My dad, a newlywed, was working at Retail Merchants in
downtown Ft. Worth, Texas, making $85 a month. At lunch, he would sit in the
stairwell looking west toward the horizon. There, "the plant" was being
constructed. Soon, he would have the opportunity to interview there and was
hired in at $100 a month. He told his boss that he was taking "the plant"
job because he really needed the extra money. His boss' reply was, “You better stay with us son, that's a 'fly-by-night'
operation."
When General Dynamics developed its TFR system to prevent planes from
flying into a mountain at night, Dad remembered and chuckled over the irony of
his former boss' words. Dad retired from "the plant" after almost 36
years. He was always thankful that he gambled on that "fly-by-night"
company!
Dad was known as "Jim" by his peers. He is still going strong
at 90 years of age. In addition to his sense of humor, his co-workers might
remember his brown bag lunches, which would cover the top of his desk! Mom
packed them fresh each morning at 5 a.m. It is a known fact that several of his
peers tried to get him to swap lunches with them on a daily basis.
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| Thank you for the opportunity of a lifetime! |
