Viewing page 106 of 113

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

34

In order to have fun as a designing engineer, one had to get it largely from one's work. On the other hand, the men in TED were charged with the responsibility of seeing that the customer was happy when he came to Erie and the bosses were quite generous in approvong expense accounts covering such activities--in fact, we were expected to perform this important function. It was important because in the railway supply industry, the customers ever since the days of Diamond Jim Brady or long before that, regarded entertainment as part of the package they were buying and woe be it to a company who shirked its duty in this regard--they might not lose the business but they lost a lot of friends and friends were valuable to have day in and day out. I had been gradually learning this art from some of the old masters such as Guynes, who loved a good time with friends. August 7 and 8 were outstanding days at Erie in this regard. Bill Hamilton, now a customer, arrived in town on the 7th, and Jay Walker was on hand from New York. We talked business all day and went out to Lake Shore to play some golf late in the afternoon--Bill, Jay, Maurice, and I. Maurice and I taking on Bill and Jay. We had a very stiff drink in the locker room before starting and it made our play very unpredictable for the first few holes. In fact, Jay moved about half the first tee out onto the fairway with his initial drive, admitting he was unable to see the ball very well. I can still see that drive: There was a huge shower of sod and dirt projected from the tee and out of the shower came the ball in a weak loop, with it coming to rest maybe twenty feet away. I don't think the rest of us did much better. But we soon settled down into our regular strides which meant a pace of maybe 120 or thereabouts. Maurice and I were seven points up on them at the end of thirteen holes, when we quit because of darkness. We dined at the club and then went to the Lawrence to meet Mr. Currie, Bill's boss, who had just arrived. We talked in his room until 12:30 a.m. and then I went home for a brief nap, or so it seemed, before arising to undertake the next day's activities.

The following day was the day of the big Cost Dept. Picnic, a famous affair run by Doc Huggins and to which a few highly-favored customers were usually invited. This was the reason for the presence of Messrs. Currie and Hamilton in Erie. The site of the picnic was the grove along the lake east of the Lawrence Park Golf Club. The beer was potent and at 11:30 a.m. Guynes, Currie and Jay were swimming in the lake in their "bear skins" I'd have been there too but Bill didn't want to go in so I chaperoned him. Between beers we played strictly at golf--highly unconventional. Jay nearly contracted a fight with a fellow who shot Currie's ball. Doc put up a great dinner, during which Maurice gave Jay a beer shampoo. Maurice also ran smack into a tree, scratching his face, before he'd had his first beer and was accused of being drunk just at the sight of it. Everyone was in high spirits. Currie caught a 4:05 train and Bill the 9:05 and then the rest of us went home to bed and in need of it.

Transcription Notes:
Changed laske to lake.