THEY'LL BE SOME CHANGES MADE TODAY

The days dwindled down to a precious few, and my years of employment in the colling tower business ended, in 1963. This story describes the event. 02/29/2016

THERE’LL BE SOME CHANGES MADE

In early 1963, we learned that a neighbor, Mike Kane, had begun attending Santa Clara University at night, working towards an MBA degree.  Lay teachers taught the program designed to attract engineers from the Silicon Valley electronics industry. 

“You should do the same thing,” suggested Angie.

 That spring I enrolled there. In order to attain an MBA I would need to take fifteen classes, forty-five credit hours. It seemed unlikely I would succeed.

FWC’s college education benefits program reimbursed me for two-thirds of the cost of tuition upon evidence of having attained a passing grade. I passed my initial classes and felt delighted my first efforts had met with success.

FWC made one last effort to keep its cooling tower business from going under by offering to sell a concrete natural draft tower. We had never designed or erected such a structure. Such towers were commonly used around the world because of favorablr weather conditions or where operating costs made them more financially attractive. They rely upon the “chimney effect” to provide air flow, obviating the need for powered fans. Most nuclear plants employ such towers. What you see rising from them is nothing more frightening than water vapor.   

Our proposed tower design simulated a hyperbolically-shaped wastepaper basket, popular at the time. It would employ steel reinforcing rods placed in concrete to provide both the shape and strength required.  Fortunately, we could not entice a prospective customer to buy our proposed design. I had serious misgivings about our ability to oversee its construction.

When this effort failed, FWC sold its cooling tower business to a rival firm, Fluor Corporation.  Employees with longevity had three choices: they could remain with FWC but move to their corporate offices now located in Livingston, New Jersey; resign and work for Fluor, in Santa Rosa, California; or quit and find other employment. I had no intention of moving back to New Jersey, nor did I relish the thought of uprooting the family to live ninety miles away in Santa Rosa while remaining in the cooling tower business. I decided to resign. But where would I find work?

A want-ad caught my eye. The DeLaval Turbine Company, a manufacturer of pumps and other industrial equipment, whose headquarters were located in Trenton, New Jersey, advertised a Purchasing Agent position for their Filtration Division located in Millbrae, one town away from San Mateo, just off the Bayshore Freeway and near the San Francisco airport. I applied immediately and after one interview, obtained an offer. I quit FWC on Friday and began work for DeLaval the following Monday. I considered myself fortunate to obtain a new job so quickly with a well-known reputable company. I could commute to work in fifteen minutes. This new job allowed my family to remain secure in our present home. There would be no disruption to our children’s lives.

Having to take a slight cut in pay did not upset me because DeLaval’s employee benefits matched those of FWC, and included an even better tuition educational refund program. Under its provisions, they paid half the tuition expense each semester, but would reimburse the employee the remaining fifty percent in lump sum upon proof of having attained a degree. This reward motivated me to continue attending Santa Clara University.

I left FWC with mixed emotions. Glad to be doing something new, I knew I would miss the friends I had made while working there for over a dozen years, all of whom scattered. Change is inevitable, and often good things follow. It took a while, but my life improved immeasurably thereafter.

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