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38

   On March 4th, I moved across the hall to a vacant desk in the office of Earl Bill, the boss of manual substations, although my work didn't change. My move was occasioned by the consolidation of Shapter and Edwards with Rudy Krape's group which consisted of Frank Sahlmann and Jake Brauns. I'm still a bit confused as to whom I was actually reporting to but it appears I was working largely directly for Maurice Guynes although I may have done something for Rudy occasionally. I had a "Milwaukee motor car job" about this time, whatever that may have been. At any rate, I was glad to leave Rudy's office as Shap moved in because Shap was a famed warhorse and hell raiser supreme. He started off in Rudy's place by informing Rudy just how the office should be rearranged, run, etc. although I'm sure there was no change in Shap's responsibilities nor Rudy's. It was simply a move to conserve office space. It was a good thing for my peace of mind that I couldn't forsee the day when I'd be made Hap's boss immediately after he'd been demoted. By the time this happened, I was keeping a fulltime diary and the accompanying convulsions to this move are covered in harrowing detail. Harry Harrington and Gordon McDonald worked for Earl and the three of them made a fine group that I was glad to be with. Also, I was "sitting right under Cash Davis' nose" according to the diary, Cash's office being beside Earl's. But this was okay with me since I got along very well with Cash.
   Past experience had taught me that when I got most discontented at the office, it seemed to be a sign that something good was about to break. And so it was in March. On the 7th, H. L. Andrews called me in and gave me several assignments, the most important of which was following the thyratron and other tube developments as they might have any significance in our locomotive program. The thyratron was an electronic power valve so to speak. This was all new technology and I had to do a lot of boning up to even understand generally what it was all about. This also was an interesting example of the short cut method of management that Andy sometimes used, not bothering to go through his subordinate bosses, believing in the brief, brusque, direct approach wherever possible. And so I went home that evening all enthused again . That day was significant also in that it was the first day that we put our girl, Irene, on full time at the house as Willie's confinement approached. We couldn't afford this but we rationalized that it had to be done and in doing it, we had the added dividend of knowing we were helping the unemployment situation also.
   Following my session with Andy, I moved into a short period of hectic activity at the office. I became more tolerant of Andy's idiosyncrasies. He griped me occasionally when he'd act like a disagreeably precocious kid, talking sharply often so unnecessarily, but he did it with everyone, so I tried hard to ignore it. This was sometimes difficult to do although I knew he must have plenty to make him a bit caustic on occasion. In