Hot and sultry best described that summer in Kansas, and as we approached the July 4th Holiday it just got worse. Most of us were fifteen years old, had our "restricted" drivers licenses, and were full of mischief.....
It wasn't that we were actually looking for ways to get into trouble, it's just that it was so darn tempting at times.
That year several of the football players had enrolled in summer school under the pretense that we would have to carry a lighter load the following semester. The real reason, of course, was that our "restricted" licenses provided freedom to drive to and from school.....with an occasional side trip thrown in for good measure.Okay, lets be honest, the side trips far exceeded the letter of the law, but what the heck!
Our class, World History, was taught by the nicest man you could imagine. He had retired from teaching several years earlier, and looking back, I'm sure this was a way to supplement his retirement income. Regardless, we all liked him, and probably took full advantage of his good nature.
We were situated in a room on the ground floor of a non air-conditioned building, and most days it was stifling. Even with the tilt-in windows opened wide there was little or no air flow to help dry the perspiration dripping from our brows, and sticking the shirts to our backs......like I said, stifling hot. Our teacher, bless his soul, was old school and wore a coat and tie.....everyday.
As we neared the end of the summer session, a day dawned that was semi-cloudy with a nice breeze that felt almost cool. We convinced "Mr. Nice" to let us open the double doors near the back of the room in order to take full advantage of the welcome breeze, and soon the sounds and smells of summer wafted into the room. Perfect!
During the morning break several of us congregated just outside the open doors until we were called back into the room. The three amigos, Randy, Johnny, and I were the last to saunter back inside and take our seats.
Two M-80s, one lit cigarette, and about five minutes, give or take, can really create havoc in a classroom full of unsuspecting kids......who knew?
I sat across the room near the front, Johnny was a couple of rows back, and Randy was seated nearest to the door. As history was being taught, we were about to make some of our own. Suddenly Randy's head went down and he covered his ears. -- KABOOM -- Holy cow, was it ever loud as the sound reverberated and echoed throughout the room and down the hall. Then, heavy blue smoke, carried by the nice breeze, began to find its way inside.....uh oh.
Poor "Mr. Nice" was beside himself as he tried to control the chaos. "Everyone, outside! We need to evacuate the building, right now!" We did, and after a short discussion about who, what, where, how, and why (when had already been established).....everyone filed back to their seats.
But wait, where are the three amigos?
You know, I really don't recall the details. But then, there's a lot things from my youth that keep reminding me, what did I know?
Monday, November 14, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Searching for solid ground...
It was May 2, 1983 and yours truly fancied himself as an up and coming young executive with a fortune 100 company. Life was good, traveling around the country on the Company dime, and meeting with other young executives who were spending their company's money as freely as me.
Yes, we were all in the employ of "Big Oil", and money was no object as long as we could come to an agreement about developing the next major oil field.
My job at the time was to negotiate multi-million dollar joint ventures with other companies; pretty heady stuff for a young lad from rural Kansas. But, I had gone to the "right" school, hit the industry at the "right" time, and was told that I had the "right" stuff.....Who was I to argue.
Little did I know that the date, May 2, 1983, would be just the first of many events that were to "shake my world".
Earlier that year our company had been shaken up by a couple of hostile takeover attempts led by the infamous T. Boone Pickens, and like most companies at the time, management elected to pay a huge sum of money to make him "go away". A practice that came to be known as paying "greenmail".....a not so subtle reference to paying blackmail money to have a hostage released. The trouble with playing the game was that it made a company even more vulnerable to the next takeover.....and so it was with us.
Suddenly, we were no longer in control of our own destiny, and our futures were shaky at best. Employees began to abandon ship and search for solid ground as our new management asserted its influence. Being the eternal optimist, I stayed on to perform the same job with the new company, and thus, made that fateful trip to California.
I landed at the airport and caught a cab to the hotel where I checked into my ground-level room. I had no more than sat down on the bed when it was apparent I was no longer in Kansas. My first thought was that I had activated one of those old coin-operated vibrating beds, then, I saw the lamp swaying back and forth and watched as the mirror rattled on the wall. What the heck? Earthquake! A totally new experience for me.
The little town of Coalinga was the epicenter of a 6.2 earthquake, and I wasn't all that far away. Geez, where I was from tornadoes might blow everything away, but the dad gum earth stayed put!
Like I said, that experience was just the beginning of many challenges for me. Our new owners began to systematically dismantle their acquisition, and it soon became a very unpleasant place to work. I lasted until 1989 before parting company with "Big Oil" forever.
Last week Miss Elizabeth and I were sitting on the sofa watching television when the house began to rumble and shake.....Hey, I've felt this before, but we're in Kansas where the earth is rock solid....right? I guess not, as we've experienced another trembler since then.
My only hope is that this earthquake doesn't set off a similar sequence of events that led to the demise of a fine company back in my youth.....I think I'm much too old to start over now, but really, what do I know?
Yes, we were all in the employ of "Big Oil", and money was no object as long as we could come to an agreement about developing the next major oil field.
My job at the time was to negotiate multi-million dollar joint ventures with other companies; pretty heady stuff for a young lad from rural Kansas. But, I had gone to the "right" school, hit the industry at the "right" time, and was told that I had the "right" stuff.....Who was I to argue.
Little did I know that the date, May 2, 1983, would be just the first of many events that were to "shake my world".
Earlier that year our company had been shaken up by a couple of hostile takeover attempts led by the infamous T. Boone Pickens, and like most companies at the time, management elected to pay a huge sum of money to make him "go away". A practice that came to be known as paying "greenmail".....a not so subtle reference to paying blackmail money to have a hostage released. The trouble with playing the game was that it made a company even more vulnerable to the next takeover.....and so it was with us.
Suddenly, we were no longer in control of our own destiny, and our futures were shaky at best. Employees began to abandon ship and search for solid ground as our new management asserted its influence. Being the eternal optimist, I stayed on to perform the same job with the new company, and thus, made that fateful trip to California.
I landed at the airport and caught a cab to the hotel where I checked into my ground-level room. I had no more than sat down on the bed when it was apparent I was no longer in Kansas. My first thought was that I had activated one of those old coin-operated vibrating beds, then, I saw the lamp swaying back and forth and watched as the mirror rattled on the wall. What the heck? Earthquake! A totally new experience for me.
The little town of Coalinga was the epicenter of a 6.2 earthquake, and I wasn't all that far away. Geez, where I was from tornadoes might blow everything away, but the dad gum earth stayed put!
Like I said, that experience was just the beginning of many challenges for me. Our new owners began to systematically dismantle their acquisition, and it soon became a very unpleasant place to work. I lasted until 1989 before parting company with "Big Oil" forever.
Last week Miss Elizabeth and I were sitting on the sofa watching television when the house began to rumble and shake.....Hey, I've felt this before, but we're in Kansas where the earth is rock solid....right? I guess not, as we've experienced another trembler since then.
My only hope is that this earthquake doesn't set off a similar sequence of events that led to the demise of a fine company back in my youth.....I think I'm much too old to start over now, but really, what do I know?
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