Andy Rooney's recent passing made me think of this character from my job at Bethlehem Steel.
This man was a telephone repairman. I worked on the company switchboard. No, I can't think of his name right now, but it was an ordinary name for an ordinary looking man with an ordinary life.
Every weekday he would make his rounds, first checking in at his office in the headquarters main building, then looking at any equipment that needed looking at in the phone room, then he plunked himself down on the chair next to my desk. He would sit there for hours. We enjoyed each others company. I'll call him John. John loved to talk about his wife, their dog, and their plans for retirement.
I was 27 at the time and saving for retirement was on my mind even then. He was a wealth of info on how to go about it. He had stayed with same major phone company since he was 25, and his 30th anniversary was coming---he was retiring and they had all their trips planned for years. "I'm taking my wife to all the places in the world that she ever wanted to see! Plus, our house will be paid off next month. It is all about planning, Diane. And for the past 30 years I have been buying U.S savings bonds with every paycheck! Now I am cashing them in!"
He was so happy and I was so happy for him. In fact, as soon as I got my next job with the City of Seattle, I began the deductions for U.S savings bonds out of every paycheck like VERN. His name was Vern! (See how the memory upstairs works.)
The gang at our main Bethlehem office had a small party for him. The day he left I shook his hand. All his hard years of working and saving were about to end and play time awaited! He died a week later of a sudden heart attack.
My savings bonds have already been cashed in and reinvested. But, the bigger lesson Vern taught me was to always look for a balance between what you WILL do in life and what you MUST just do now for no other reason than it would be fun.
Studies have shown an unusual amount of people die soon after retiring from their jobs. I look at such studies and say, "OK, but which came first the chicken or the egg? Maybe they RETIRED because they didn't feel well enough to keep working." But, Vern, he was so happy to start his new life. I'll never forget him.
Andy Rooney had a "minor surgery" a few weeks after he retired and died from complications. I can almost hear his commentary on that one. "The only thing shocking to ME is how all the complications in life don't kill us sooner!"
R.I.P. Andy
R.I.P Vern (Yep, I just remembered his last name.)
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The Telephone Man and His Savings Bonds: Characters I Have Known
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Andy Rooney's recent passing made me think of this character from my job at Bethlehem Steel.
This man was a telephone repairman. I worked on the company switchboard. No, I can't think of his name right now, but it was an ordinary name for an ordinary looking man with an ordinary life.
Every weekday he would make his rounds, first checking in at his office in the headquarters main building, then looking at any equipment that needed looking at in the phone room, then he plunked himself down on the chair next to my desk. He would sit there for hours. We enjoyed each others company. I'll call him John. John loved to talk about his wife, their dog, and their plans for retirement.
I was 27 at the time and saving for retirement was on my mind even then. He was a wealth of info on how to go about it. He had stayed with same major phone company since he was 25, and his 30th anniversary was coming---he was retiring and they had all their trips planned for years. "I'm taking my wife to all the places in the world that she ever wanted to see! Plus, our house will be paid off next month. It is all about planning, Diane. And for the past 30 years I have been buying U.S savings bonds with every paycheck! Now I am cashing them in!"
He was so happy and I was so happy for him. In fact, as soon as I got my next job with the City of Seattle, I began the deductions for U.S savings bonds out of every paycheck like VERN. His name was Vern! (See how the memory upstairs works.)
The gang at our main Bethlehem office had a small party for him. The day he left I shook his hand. All his hard years of working and saving were about to end and play time awaited! He died a week later of a sudden heart attack.
My savings bonds have already been cashed in and reinvested. But, the bigger lesson Vern taught me was to always look for a balance between what you WILL do in life and what you MUST just do now for no other reason than it would be fun.
Studies have shown an unusual amount of people die soon after retiring from their jobs. I look at such studies and say, "OK, but which came first the chicken or the egg? Maybe they RETIRED because they didn't feel well enough to keep working." But, Vern, he was so happy to start his new life. I'll never forget him.
Andy Rooney had a "minor surgery" a few weeks after he retired and died from complications. I can almost hear his commentary on that one. "The only thing shocking to ME is how all the complications in life don't kill us sooner!"
R.I.P. Andy
R.I.P Vern (Yep, I just remembered his last name.)
Andy Rooney's recent passing made me think of this character from my job at Bethlehem Steel.
This man was a telephone repairman. I worked on the company switchboard. No, I can't think of his name right now, but it was an ordinary name for an ordinary looking man with an ordinary life.
Every weekday he would make his rounds, first checking in at his office in the headquarters main building, then looking at any equipment that needed looking at in the phone room, then he plunked himself down on the chair next to my desk. He would sit there for hours. We enjoyed each others company. I'll call him John. John loved to talk about his wife, their dog, and their plans for retirement.
I was 27 at the time and saving for retirement was on my mind even then. He was a wealth of info on how to go about it. He had stayed with same major phone company since he was 25, and his 30th anniversary was coming---he was retiring and they had all their trips planned for years. "I'm taking my wife to all the places in the world that she ever wanted to see! Plus, our house will be paid off next month. It is all about planning, Diane. And for the past 30 years I have been buying U.S savings bonds with every paycheck! Now I am cashing them in!"
He was so happy and I was so happy for him. In fact, as soon as I got my next job with the City of Seattle, I began the deductions for U.S savings bonds out of every paycheck like VERN. His name was Vern! (See how the memory upstairs works.)
The gang at our main Bethlehem office had a small party for him. The day he left I shook his hand. All his hard years of working and saving were about to end and play time awaited! He died a week later of a sudden heart attack.
My savings bonds have already been cashed in and reinvested. But, the bigger lesson Vern taught me was to always look for a balance between what you WILL do in life and what you MUST just do now for no other reason than it would be fun.
Studies have shown an unusual amount of people die soon after retiring from their jobs. I look at such studies and say, "OK, but which came first the chicken or the egg? Maybe they RETIRED because they didn't feel well enough to keep working." But, Vern, he was so happy to start his new life. I'll never forget him.
Andy Rooney had a "minor surgery" a few weeks after he retired and died from complications. I can almost hear his commentary on that one. "The only thing shocking to ME is how all the complications in life don't kill us sooner!"
R.I.P. Andy
R.I.P Vern (Yep, I just remembered his last name.)
Andy Rooney's recent passing made me think of this character from my job at Bethlehem Steel.
This man was a telephone repairman. I worked on the company switchboard. No, I can't think of his name right now, but it was an ordinary name for an ordinary looking man with an ordinary life.
Every weekday he would make his rounds, first checking in at his office in the headquarters main building, then looking at any equipment that needed looking at in the phone room, then he plunked himself down on the chair next to my desk. He would sit there for hours. We enjoyed each others company. I'll call him John. John loved to talk about his wife, their dog, and their plans for retirement.
I was 27 at the time and saving for retirement was on my mind even then. He was a wealth of info on how to go about it. He had stayed with same major phone company since he was 25, and his 30th anniversary was coming---he was retiring and they had all their trips planned for years. "I'm taking my wife to all the places in the world that she ever wanted to see! Plus, our house will be paid off next month. It is all about planning, Diane. And for the past 30 years I have been buying U.S savings bonds with every paycheck! Now I am cashing them in!"
He was so happy and I was so happy for him. In fact, as soon as I got my next job with the City of Seattle, I began the deductions for U.S savings bonds out of every paycheck like VERN. His name was Vern! (See how the memory upstairs works.)
The gang at our main Bethlehem office had a small party for him. The day he left I shook his hand. All his hard years of working and saving were about to end and play time awaited! He died a week later of a sudden heart attack.
My savings bonds have already been cashed in and reinvested. But, the bigger lesson Vern taught me was to always look for a balance between what you WILL do in life and what you MUST just do now for no other reason than it would be fun.
Studies have shown an unusual amount of people die soon after retiring from their jobs. I look at such studies and say, "OK, but which came first the chicken or the egg? Maybe they RETIRED because they didn't feel well enough to keep working." But, Vern, he was so happy to start his new life. I'll never forget him.
Andy Rooney had a "minor surgery" a few weeks after he retired and died from complications. I can almost hear his commentary on that one. "The only thing shocking to ME is how all the complications in life don't kill us sooner!"
R.I.P. Andy
R.I.P Vern (Yep, I just remembered his last name.)
Andy Rooney's recent passing made me think of this character from my job at Bethlehem Steel.
This man was a telephone repairman. I worked on the company switchboard. No, I can't think of his name right now, but it was an ordinary name for an ordinary looking man with an ordinary life.
Every weekday he would make his rounds, first checking in at his office in the headquarters main building, then looking at any equipment that needed looking at in the phone room, then he plunked himself down on the chair next to my desk. He would sit there for hours. We enjoyed each others company. I'll call him John. John loved to talk about his wife, their dog, and their plans for retirement.
I was 27 at the time and saving for retirement was on my mind even then. He was a wealth of info on how to go about it. He had stayed with same major phone company since he was 25, and his 30th anniversary was coming---he was retiring and they had all their trips planned for years. "I'm taking my wife to all the places in the world that she ever wanted to see! Plus, our house will be paid off next month. It is all about planning, Diane. And for the past 30 years I have been buying U.S savings bonds with every paycheck! Now I am cashing them in!"
He was so happy and I was so happy for him. In fact, as soon as I got my next job with the City of Seattle, I began the deductions for U.S savings bonds out of every paycheck like VERN. His name was Vern! (See how the memory upstairs works.)
The gang at our main Bethlehem office had a small party for him. The day he left I shook his hand. All his hard years of working and saving were about to end and play time awaited! He died a week later of a sudden heart attack.
My savings bonds have already been cashed in and reinvested. But, the bigger lesson Vern taught me was to always look for a balance between what you WILL do in life and what you MUST just do now for no other reason than it would be fun.
Studies have shown an unusual amount of people die soon after retiring from their jobs. I look at such studies and say, "OK, but which came first the chicken or the egg? Maybe they RETIRED because they didn't feel well enough to keep working." But, Vern, he was so happy to start his new life. I'll never forget him.
Andy Rooney had a "minor surgery" a few weeks after he retired and died from complications. I can almost hear his commentary on that one. "The only thing shocking to ME is how all the complications in life don't kill us sooner!"
R.I.P. Andy
R.I.P Vern (Yep, I just remembered his last name.)
Andy Rooney's recent passing made me think of this character from my job at Bethlehem Steel.
This man was a telephone repairman. I worked on the company switchboard. No, I can't think of his name right now, but it was an ordinary name for an ordinary looking man with an ordinary life.
Every weekday he would make his rounds, first checking in at his office in the headquarters main building, then looking at any equipment that needed looking at in the phone room, then he plunked himself down on the chair next to my desk. He would sit there for hours. We enjoyed each others company. I'll call him John. John loved to talk about his wife, their dog, and their plans for retirement.
I was 27 at the time and saving for retirement was on my mind even then. He was a wealth of info on how to go about it. He had stayed with same major phone company since he was 25, and his 30th anniversary was coming---he was retiring and they had all their trips planned for years. "I'm taking my wife to all the places in the world that she ever wanted to see! Plus, our house will be paid off next month. It is all about planning, Diane. And for the past 30 years I have been buying U.S savings bonds with every paycheck! Now I am cashing them in!"
He was so happy and I was so happy for him. In fact, as soon as I got my next job with the City of Seattle, I began the deductions for U.S savings bonds out of every paycheck like VERN. His name was Vern! (See how the memory upstairs works.)
The gang at our main Bethlehem office had a small party for him. The day he left I shook his hand. All his hard years of working and saving were about to end and play time awaited! He died a week later of a sudden heart attack.
My savings bonds have already been cashed in and reinvested. But, the bigger lesson Vern taught me was to always look for a balance between what you WILL do in life and what you MUST just do now for no other reason than it would be fun.
Studies have shown an unusual amount of people die soon after retiring from their jobs. I look at such studies and say, "OK, but which came first the chicken or the egg? Maybe they RETIRED because they didn't feel well enough to keep working." But, Vern, he was so happy to start his new life. I'll never forget him.
Andy Rooney had a "minor surgery" a few weeks after he retired and died from complications. I can almost hear his commentary on that one. "The only thing shocking to ME is how all the complications in life don't kill us sooner!"
R.I.P. Andy
R.I.P Vern (Yep, I just remembered his last name.)
Post a Comment