I have to smile when I see something like a "wine tasting at our
office". I started working for IBM in 1965 when the company (at least
in the US) could rightfully be called a "tee-totaler". Even serving
alcohol at a company sponsored social function (let alone the office)
was totally verboten. It was different in Europe and elsewhere but it
remained that way in the US at IBM facilities until I retired in 1995.
But at least it had softened to the point of serving beer or wine at
social functions sometime, IIRC, in the 80s.
I still have very vivid memories of attending an awards ceremony in a
large hotel in New York City about 1974. The speaker was an IBM
vice-president everyone called "Buck" Rodgers. Before Buck arrived the
hotel decided to open a cash bar in the back of the dining room. When
Buck arrived he strode immediately to the podium, pointed at the cash
bar and said: "If this is an IBM function you'd better close that bar.
If this is not an IBM function I have better things to do." Needless to
say, the bar was closed down immediately.
The reason that IBM was a tee-totaling company was that the founder, Tom
Watson Sr., was a tee-totaler. My father-in-law (an IBM'er also
starting from the late 30s) used to tell me that in the 1920s (when IBM
was still very small and had no facilities outside of Endicott, NY) Tom
Sr. used to review the employee's canceled pay checks. If he found one
that had been cashed in a bar he'd fire the guy.
I have many more stories like that but no way to tell if they're really
urban legend. Ah, the good ol' days.
Chuck Norcutt
Nathan Wajsman wrote:
> We have had some conversations about bokeh on both the Leica and
> Olympus lists recently, so today's picture from a wine tasting at our
> office seems a propos:
>
> http://www.greatpix.eu/Other/Picture-A-Day/4253606_netUM#844840551_byxLv-O-LB
>
>
> The wine was from Catalunya, from the mountains near Andorra, and was
> absolutely fantastic.
>
> Nathan
>
> Nathan Wajsman Alicante, Spain http://www.frozenlight.eu
> http://www.greatpix.eu http://www.nathanfoto.com
>
> Books: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/search?search=wajsman&x=0&y=0
> PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws Image licensing:
> http://www.alamy.com/search-results.asp?qt=wajsman Blog:
> http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog
>
>
>
>
--
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
|