25TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR. BUT IT WAS SO …€¦ · the first zeppelin raid on paris. woodrowwilson was barely re-elected, defeating charles evan hughes. jazz was sweeping the country

#4153YDRAFT #8 - F

POLICY COMMITTEE DINNER

JULY 28, 1983

N. R. BERG

GOOD EVENING.

AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T HAD MANY OF THESE SOCIAL GET TOGETHERS

OF CONTROL DATA'S TOP MANAGEMENT PEOPLE — AND THEY REALLY ARE

KINDA SPECIAL. THE ONE WE HAD LAST OCTOBER WAS PROMPTED BY THE

25TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR. BUT IT WAS SO ENJOYABLE, THAT IT JUST

SEEMED NATURAL TO DO IT AGAIN.

THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF SERVICE OF POLICY COMMITTEE MEMBERS IS

18.47 YEARS. THAT MEANS MOST OF US WERE A PART OF A SMALL AND

VERY PERSONAL COMPANY. SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF AMBIVALENCE

IN OUR FEELINGS — WE CERTAINLY ENJOY THE "COMFORT" OF

BIGNESS, BUT STILL YEARN FOR THE "AMBIENCE" OF SMALLNESS.

WHILE THAT ISN'T TOTALLY POSSIBLE, GATHERINGS LIKE THIS SURELY

DO HELP.

R M Price CDC speeches Charles Babbage Institute <www.cbi.umn.edu>

PAGE 2

JULY BEING CONTROL DATA'S BIRTH MONTH, THIS SEEMED LIKE A GOOD

TIME ALSO TO SORT OF RECAPITULATE THE EVENTS OF THE PAST

12 MONTHS. AND PARTICULARLY BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME VERY SPECIAL

PEOPLE WHO ARE RETIRING THIS YEAR. SO WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU

SOME TV CLIPS, TALK A BIT ABOUT THOSE SPECIAL PEOPLE, RECOGNIZE

A FEW ANNIVERSARIES AND MOST OF ALL, JUST VISIT. BOB, WHY

DON'T YOU GET US STARTED. LADIES & GENTLEMEN, OUR PRESIDENT,

BOB PRICE.

R. M. PRICE

THANKS, NORB. JULY BEING ANNIVERSARY MONTH FOR CONTROL DATA,

IT IS KIND OF NATURAL TO LOOK BACK — ALL OF US HAVE STORIES,

RECOLLECTIONS AND SO ON — BUT ONE THING I SUSPECT YOU DON'T

KNOW IS THAT THE POLICY COMMITTEE DATES BACK TO THE FOUNDING OF

THE COMPANY. ON SEPTEMBER 3, 1957 THE FIRST MEETING WAS HELD

OF WHAT WAS THEN CALLED THE MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

FIVE OF CONTROL DATA'S FIRST THIRTEEN EMPLOYEES ATTENDED. IF

YOU WANT TO REFLECT ON NORB'S COMMENT, COMPARE 5/13TH WITH

1/1000TH. THE AGENDA CALLED FOR A DISCUSSION OF COMPANY

WORKING HOURS, WHICH MEMBERS AGREED SHOULD BE FROM 8 TO 5. A

NINE-MONTH BUDGET OF $156,000 WAS ALSO APPROVED. TODAY, IT

SEEMS ALMOST INCONCEIVABLE THAT YOU COULD START A COMPANY ON

SUCH AN AMOUNT — MUCH LESS DO IT WELL.


PAGE 3

BUT SPEAKING OF DOING THINGS WELL REMINDS ME OF A FRIEND OF

MINE WHO'S A DOCTOR. HE TOLD ME OF A VISIT BY TWO SENIOR

CITIZENS THAT CAME INTO HIS OFFICE AND WANTED TO KNOW IF THEY

WERE MAKING LOVE PROPERLY AND ASKED THE DOCTOR IF HE WOULD

WATCH.

THE DOCTOR SAYS, "GO AHEAD," SO THEY MAKE LOVE. THE DOCTOR

SAYS, "YOU'RE DOING FINE, THAT WILL BE TEN DOLLARS."

THEY COME BACK SIX WEEKS IN A ROW AND DO THE SAME THING.

FINALLY, ON THE SEVENTH VISIT, THE DOCTOR SAYS, "WHAT ARE YOU

COMING HERE LIKE THIS FOR? I TOLD YOU YOU'RE MAKING LOVE

PROPERLY."

THE OLD MAN SAYS, "SHE CAN'T COME TO MY HOUSE, I CAN'T GO TO

HER HOUSE. THE MOTEL WOULD COST US TWENTY DOLLARS, YOU CHARGE

US TEN DOLLARS, AND THIS WAY WE GET EIGHT DOLLARS BACK FROM

MEDICARE."

WELL, EVEN ON ITS SMALL BUDGET AND WITHOUT MEDICARE, CONTROL

DATA DID WELL.


PAGE 4

BY 1965 CONTROL DATA HAD NEARLY 4,500 EMPLOYEES AND HAD

EXPANDED ITS OPERATIONS TO INCLUDE EIGHTEEN COUNTRIES. A NEW

TOP MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE WAS CREATED TO DIRECT THIS RAPID

GROWTH. THE COMMITTEE WAS CALLED THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND ITS

MEMBERS HAD INCREASED TO SEVEN. RATIO NOW 1/600TH. THREE OF

THOSE SEVEN ARE HERE TODAY: TOM KAMP, BILL KEYE AND

BILL NORRIS.

NINE DIFFERENT POLICY COMMITTEES REPLACED THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

OF THE 1960'S. SEVERAL MAJOR REALIGNMENTS OF THE ORGANIZATION

OCCURRED IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS. A SEVEN-MEMBER MANAGEMENT

COMMITTEE, WHICH INCLUDED THE PRESIDENTS OF FOUR OPERATING

COMPANIES WAS FORMED IN 1973. THREE YEARS LATER, IN 1976, THE

SCOPE AND MEMBERSHIP OF THIS COMMITTEE WAS ENLARGED. RE-NAMED

THE POLICY COMMITTEE, ITS CHARTER CONTINUES TO REFLECT THE

GOALS AND PURPOSE TO THAT FIRST COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED IN 1957.

IN MANY RESPECTS, 1957 — THE YEAR OF OUR FOUNDING — SEEMS

LIKE A LONG TIME AGO. BUT IN MANY WAYS, IT DOESN'T SEEM LONG

AGO AT ALL BECAUSE TIME COMPRESSES EVENTS. SO BEFORE THEY'RE

SWALLOWED UP, FIRST OF ALL HOW ABOUT A FEW EVENTS OF THE PAST

YEAR.


PAGE 5

CONTROL DATA HAS BEEN ON THE FOREFRONT OF CHANGE. EVEN THOUGH

THOSE OF US RESPONSIBLE ARE COMPLETELY CONVINCED CONTROL DATA

HAS THE BEST STRATEGY — AND DESPITE EVIDENCE OF ITS SUCCESS

WHICH IS EASILY VISIBLE — LIKE MOST HUMAN BEINGS, FREQUENTLY

THE MANAGEMENT OF CONTROL DATA FEELS THAT WE AREN'T GETTING

PROPER RECOGNITION FOR OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. (FRED WALKER -

GAINESVILLE) SO "GOOD PRESS" IS A CLASSIC OXYMORON — YOU

REMEMBER OXYMORONS — (DEFINITION) ~ JUMBO SHRIMP ~ OLD

NEWS — AIRLINE FOOD.

ANYWAY, I HAVE TO SAY THAT WE'VE PROBABLY HAD MORE FAVORABLE

TELEVISION COVERAGE THIS YEAR THAN EVER BEFORE. HERE ARE JUST

A FEW CLIPS.

(TELEVISION CLIPS)

AS YOU CAN SEE, THE UNDERSTANDING OF OUR STRATEGY IS INCREASING

AND THAT'S GOING TO PROVIDE ENORMOUS BENEFITS FOR US IN THE

FURTHER IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS STRATEGY.

RIGHT NOW, I'D LIKE TO ASK NORB TO REJOIN ME TO HELP RECOGNIZE

A FEW OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE IN

CREATING THE CONTROL DATA WE KNOW TODAY.


PAGE 6

N. R. BERG

THANKS, BOB.

WE'VE HAD A CHANCE TO REFLECT BACK ON 1957 A LITTLE BIT THIS

EVENING, (BY THE WAY, 1957 WAS ALSO THE YEAR MARILYN AND I GOT

MARRIED), BUT I WANT TO BRING YOU BACK A LITTLE FURTHER TO

1916. WORLD WAR I WAS GOING STRONG AND THAT WAS THE YEAR OF

THE FIRST ZEPPELIN RAID ON PARIS. WOODROW WILSON WAS BARELY

RE-ELECTED, DEFEATING CHARLES EVAN HUGHES. JAZZ WAS SWEEPING

THE COUNTRY AND THE FIRST ROSE BOWL GAME WAS PLAYED. IT WAS

ALSO THE YEAR THAT F. W. MOTT SUGGESTED THE THEORY OF SHELL

SHOCK. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THAT IN THAT SAME YEAR, IN

THE CITY OF BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI BOB CHINN WAS BORN.

BOB HAS HAD A DISTINGUISHED CAREER. HE GRADUATED WITH A LAW

DEGREE FROM LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AND SPENT 22 YEARS WITH

THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY IN A VARIETY OF MANAGEMENT POSITIONS.

IN FACT, BOB FEELS SUCH NOSTALGIA FOR HIS EARLY YEARS IN THE

AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS, THAT HE WILL ONLY BUY FORD PRODUCTS —

WHETHER THEY WORK OR NOT.


PAGE 7

BOB JOINED CONTROL DATA IN 1969 AS VICE PRESIDENT AND SENIOR

STAFF OFFICER, MANUFACTURING AND OPERATIONS. HIS TALENTS WERE

QUICKLY RECOGNIZED AND IN 1974 HE BECAME SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

AND GROUP EXECUTIVE, INDUSTRIAL GROUP, SYSTEMS AND SERVICES

COMPANY. HE WAS NAMED SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC

PROGRAMS TWO YEARS LATER AND WAS GIVEN ADDED RESPONSIBILITIES

AS ASSISTANT TO THE CHAIRMAN IN 1981.

BOB'S HAND IN SHAPING MANY OF OUR EMERGING PROGRAMS IS EVIDENT

IN SUCH AREAS AS RURAL VENTURES, THE BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY

CENTERS, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES AND OUR BUSINESSES

IN JAMAICA.

BUT KNOWING BOB IS MORE THAN A RECITATION OF JOBS AND TITLES —

HE AND ELEANOR ARE WARM AND GRACIOUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE GIVEN

ENDLESS HOURS OF THEIR TIME WITH INTERNATIONAL VISITORS — ALL

OF WHOM LEAVE WITH A BETTER FEELING ABOUT CONTROL DATA BECAUSE

OF THEIR HOSPITALITY.

STILL JUST SO THIS DESCRIPTION DOESN'T GET TOO ONE-SIDED —

WHICH BOB PRICE WAS TALKING ABOUT OXYMOROUS A MINUTE AGO, I

COULDN'T HELP BUT THINK OF A COUPLE APPROPRIATE ONES FOR BOB

CHINN.

THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW BOB WOULD PROBABLY AGREE WITH "SHORT

EXPLANATION"....BUT BEAUTIFUL SIMPLICITY YOU JUST CAN'T BEAT "A

MINUTE" AS WHEN BOB SAYS: "CAN I TALK TO YOU FOR A MINUTE?"


PAGE 8

WELL, BOB WILL BE RETIRING AT THE END OF THIS YEAR AND WE WANT

TO RECOGNIZE HIM FOR HIS OUTSTANDING CAREER AND THE MANY

CONTRIBUTIONS HE'S MADE TO CONTROL DATA. I SHOULD ALSO POINT

OUT THAT SATURDAY IS BOB'S BIRTHDAY, SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOB!

R. M. PRICE

CONGRATULATIONS, BOB THANKS FOR YOUR MANY

CONTRIBUTIONS I'LL TRULY NEVER FORGET THE "TAR BABY"

SESSIONS AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

LET'S LOOK BACK ON 1922. THE UNITED STATES AND JAPAN SIGNED

THE NAVAL AGREEMENT....CARDINAL ACHILLE RATTI WAS ELECTED POPE

PIUS XI THE SOVIET STATES FORMED THE U.S.S.R IRVING

BERLIN WROTE "APRIL SHOWERS"....AND THE FILM "NANOOK OF THE

NORTH" PREMIERED ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL DIED AT AGE 75 THE

SELF-WINDING WRISTWATCH WAS INVENTED AND EMILY POST WROTE HER

BOOK ON ETIQUETTE. AND IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, PAUL MILLER

WAS BORN.

PAUL GRADUATED FROM THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY WHERE HE WAS A

CLASSMATE OF JIMMY CARTER AND LEARNED TO FLY WITH SOON-TO-BE

ASTRONAUT JOHN GLENN. HE WENT ON TO A DISTINGUISHED NAVAL

CAREER AS A TEST PILOT AMONG OTHER THINGS. BUT THAT DIDN'T

HOLD ENOUGH RISK AND EXCITEMENT FOR HIM, SO IN 1957 HE JOINED

DAYSTROM, SOON TO BE ACQUIRED BY CONTROL DATA.


PAGE 9

PAUL WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED WHEN HE WAS TOLD THAT HIS FIRST

ASSIGNMENT WAS TO GO OFF AND RUN A POWER PLANT FOR

SIX MONTHS PAUL HAS NEVER BEEN AN EARLY RISER IN THOSE

FIRST YEARS AT LA JOLLA, THEY HAD TO TRAIN HIM TO COME TO WORK

ON TIME....WHEN PAUL WAS LATE THEY MADE HIM SIGN IN WITH THE

OTHER OFFENDERS.

PAUL CAME TO MINNEAPOLIS IN 1967 AS VICE PRESIDENT

COMMUNICATIONS AND SPECIAL SYSTEMS....THAT SAME YEAR HE WAS

NAMED VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND DEVELOPMENT

GROUP....AND IN 1970 HE BECAME SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF THE

MARKETING GROUP. IN 1975 PAUL MOVED TO BALTIMORE AS PRESIDENT

OF COMMERCIAL CREDIT. HE WAS ELECTED CEO OF COMMERCIAL CREDIT

IN 1977 AND CHAIRMAN IN 1981.

AS A FORMER PILOT, PAUL'S ATTENTION TO DETAIL IS LEGENDARY —

RIGHT DOWN TO INSISTING THAT HIS ORGANIZATION CHART BE

PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL HIS DEMANDS FOR ORDERLINESS AND

ATTENTION TO DETAIL ULTIMATELY WERE CAPTURED IN YET ANOTHER

OXYMORON: "FINAL REVIEW." PAUL'S STAFF SOON DISCOVERED THE

WAY TO GET SOME TIME WITH PAUL AFTER HOURS WAS TO RETURN TO THE

OFFICE AND HUNT HIM DOWN WHILE HE WAS INSPECTING THE HALLWAYS,

STRAIGHTENING DESKS OR RE-ARRANGING FILE CABINETS. AND WHO

ELSE BUT PAUL WOULD CALL THE FIRST PORTION OF HIS STAFF MEETING

"HAPPY HOUR."


PAGE 10

"ACTIVE RETIREMENT" IS, OF COURSE, AN OXYMORON, TOO — BUT

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT 1984 WILL BRING PAUL. FOR ME, THE "ACTIVE"

PART WILL BE THE BEST AS PAUL AND I WILL BE WORKING TOGETHER ON

THE CDC AND CCC BOARDS, AND ON SOME SPECIAL CONSULTING PROJECTS

WHICH PAUL WILL DO FOR ME.

APPROPRIATE RECOGNITION TO ANYONE WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED AS MUCH

AS PAUL TO CONTROL DATA IS DAMN NEAR IMPOSSIBLE. BUT IF YOU

HAVE BEEN ON THE TEAM WITH PAUL, YOU KNOW AS FEW OTHERS CAN

WHAT DEDICATION, SPIRIT AND LOYALTY IS ALL ABOUT. SO PAUL ~

DORIS ~ OUR BEST ~ OUR VERY BEST TO BOTH OF YOU.

NOW I'D LIKE TO TURN THE PODIUM OVER TO BILL NORRIS WHO HAS A

SPECIAL PRESENTATION HE'D LIKE TO MAKE BILL.

(W. C. NORRIS REMARKS)

N. R. BERG

THANK YOU, BILL. NOW, LET'S RECOGNIZE THOSE FOUR PEOPLE WHO

ARE COMMEMORATING ANNIVERSARIES WITH CONTROL DATA IN 1983.


PAGE 11

FIRST, LET'S MOVE TO 1973 WATERGATE DOMINATED THE

HEADLINES....SPIRO AGNEW RESIGNED AND RICHARD NIXON DECIDED TO

END WAGE/PRICE CONTROLS "LAST TANGO IN PARIS" WAS SHOCKING

MOVIE AUDIENCES AS THE FIRST SKYLAB MISSIONS WERE BEING

LAUNCHED PICASSO DIED AT AGE 92....GEORGE FOREMAN WON THE

TITLE FROM JOE FRAZIER AND 0. J. SIMPSON RUSHED OVER 2,000

YARDS TO SET A NEW RECORD IT WAS ALSO THE YEAR ED STRICKLAND

DECIDED TO RETURN TO CONTROL DATA.

NOW SOME OF YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT TONIGHT WE'RE HONORING ED FOR

HIS SECOND TEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY....HIS FIRST TEN YEARS WITH THE

COMPANY BEGAN IN 1957 WHEN CONTROL DATA ACQUIRED A LITTLE JOB

SHOP CALLED CEDAR ENGINEERING....AS CEDAR'S FINANCIAL OFFICER,

ED WENT ON TO BECOME CONTROL DATA'S TREASURER.

HIS TALENTS WERE QUICKLY RECOGNIZED AND IN 1962 ED WAS CHARGED

WITH MOVING CONTROL DATA INTO INTERNATIONAL MARKETS.

WHEN ED WAS GIVEN THE JOB OF LOCATING A SITE FOR CONTROL DATA'S

FIRST INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, EVERYONE ASSUMED IT WOULD BE

PARIS, LONDON, OR MAYBE AMSTERDAM BUT NO ED DECIDED THAT

THE REAL COMMUNICATIONS CENTER OF EUROPE, THE HUB OF COMMERCE

AND INDUSTRY WAS....LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND....THE CHOCOLATE

CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. PERHAPS THIS DECISION WAS GUIDED BY ED'S

BUSINESS APPETITE!


PAGE 12

ED LEFT CONTROL DATA IN 1968 FOR A FIVE YEAR STINT AS A PRIVATE

CONSULTANT HE RETURNED IN 1973 TO BEGIN HIS SECOND TEN YEARS

WITH THE NEW RESPONSIBILITIES OF VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE

GROWTH. IN 1980 HE WAS NAMED SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT.

ED CONTINUES TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO CONTROL

DATA'S GROWTH WITH HIS KEEN SENSE OF A GOOD DEAL, HIS SKILL AS

A NEGOTIATOR, AND HIS SOUND JUDGMENT ON ACQUISITIONS, JOINT

VENTURES, AND NEW BUSINESS.

I CAN PERSONALLY ALSO ATTEST THAT HE ALSO APPLIES HIS SKILLS TO

POKER, USING THEM ON JACK KARNOSWKI, MARV ROGERS, RAY SKOE AND

OTHER UNSUSPECTING VICTIMS.

A GOOD OXYMORON FOR ED'S FIRST TEN YEARS IS "WORKING

VACATION." FOR HIS SECOND TEN YEARS, HOW ABOUT "ROUTINE

ACQUISITION." CONGRATULATIONS, ED! IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE,

R. M. PRICE

CONGRATULATIONS, ED. YOU'RE LIVING PROOF THAT IT I_S BETTER THE

SECOND TIME AROUND.


PAGE 13

LET'S MOVE BACK TO 1968. 1968 WAS A YEAR OF TURMOIL.

MARTIN LUTHER KING AND ROBERT KENNEDY WERE ASSASSINATED THE

U.S. NAVY SHIP "PUEBLO" WAS CAPTURED BY NORTH

KOREA....RICHARD NIXON WAS ELECTED BY THE NARROWEST MARGIN

SINCE 1912 —1912? HELL, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HE RAN FOR OFFICE

IN 1912 — MUCH LESS ABOUT APOLLO 8. WHERE WAS I? OH YES,

JACKIE KENNEDY MARRIED ARISTOTLE ONASSIS WHILE APOLLO 8

ORBITED THE MOON, CONTROL DATA'S CANADIAN EMPLOYEES WERE

INTRODUCED TO FRANK DAWE. THAT'S A HELL OF A CEREMONY! DAWE,

DID YOU WRITE THIS STUFF? YES, IN 1968 FRANK'S MOTHER, ON HER

WAY TO THE GROCERY STORE, SAW A SIGN SAYING "CONTROL" SOMETHING

OR OTHER — AND THINKING THAT IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH BIRTH

CONTROL SAID TO HERSELF: "ONE MISTAKE IS ENOUGH — MAYBE THESE

PEOPLE CAN HELP." WELL, WE DID. WE HIRED FRANK AS PERSONNEL

MANAGER AND FRANK'S MOTHER HAS BEEN GRATEFUL EVER SINCE — AND

BERG, WELL — JUST LET ME SAY THAT ON AVERAGE IT COMES OUT JUST

ABOUT EVEN.

TWO YEARS LATER FRANK LEFT CANADA ("LEFT CANADA" IS A

EUPHEMISM — NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH AN OXYMORON — FOR —

WELL, YOU KNOW). NO, ACTUALLY FRANK'S SKILL WITH SYMMETRIC

ORGANIZATION CHARTS WAS DISCOVERED BY YOU-KNOW-WHO AND HE WAS

CALLED TO MINNEAPOLIS BY PAUL FOR A TRY-OUT. THERE ARE SOME

WHO WOULD ACCUSE FRANK OF TAKING JOBS AWAY FROM

AMERICANS....AND AS FAR AS IS KNOWN, HE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A

VALID VISA.


PAGE 14

ANYWAY, FIVE MONTHS AND 152 PERFECTLY BALANCED ORGANIZATION

CHARTS LATER, PAUL KNEW HE HAD HIS MAN AND FRANK BECAME GENERAL

MANAGER OF PERSONNEL AND ADMINISTRATION FOR MARKETING IN 1973.

IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING, HE WAS PROMOTED TO VICE PRESIDENT.

FRANK CAME TO WORK FOR ME IN 1975 WE HAD A NEWLY ORGANIZED

GROUP — ACTUALLY "NEWLY ORGANIZED" WAS AN OXYMORON FOR SURE.

BUT FRANK SET ABOUT THE TASK OF HELPING ME. HIS WAY OF DOING

THIS WAS TO SHOW UP EACH DAY WITH A PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL

ORGANIZATION CHART. UNFORTUNATELY, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, MY

LACK OF THE ARTISTIC SENSITIVITY IS A "LITTLE BIG," "PRETTY

BAD," — AND THAT'S BOTH A EUPHEMISM AND AN OXYMORON — SO I

REJECTED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE CHARTS. FINALLY I BLEW UP

AND SAID: "FRANK, IF YOU BRING ME ONE MORE OF THOSE

•GOL-DANGED' (OF COURSE YOU ALL KNOW I TALK LIKE THAT WHEN I'M

REALLY MAD) ~ GOL-DANGED CHARTS WITH ALL THOSE FRU-FRU BOXES

HANGING AROUND LIKE SO MANY GOL-DANGED SYMMETRIC CUMQUATS, I'M

SENDING YOUR ACT TO GOL-DANGED BALTIMORE. AND FROM THAT DAY TO

THIS FRANK HAS GIVEN ME AN UNBALANCED ORGANIZATION — WHICH IS

JUST THE WAY I LIKE YOU — UH — I MEAN IT!

FRANK'S SCHEDULE IS NOTORIOUS HE'S UP EVERY MORNING AT 4:30

RUNNING AT THE DECATHLON YOU HAVE TO BE THERE WITH FRANK TO

KNOW WHAT AN OXYMORON "BRIEF JOG" TRULY IS. HE HOLDS BREAKFAST

STAFF MEETINGS AT 6:30 A.M THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A


PAGE 15

MINUTE AND I BELIEVE HE DOES CALL THE FIRST PART "HAPPY

HOUR." BUT WHAT PEOPLE DON'T KNOW IS THAT HE MAY BE GREAT IN

THE LOCKER ROOM AND ENERGETIC AT WORK DURING THE DAY BUT

TRY SPENDING AN EVENING WITH FRANK — HE CAN'T STAY AWAKE PAST

9 O'CLOCK....IT'S LIKE WATCHING A SLOW MOTION PICTURE OF

RIP VAN WINKLE ISN'T THAT RIGHT JOAN!

TONIGHT, IT IS MY PLEASURE TO RECONGIZE 15 OUTSTANDING YEARS OF

SERVICE BY A MAN WHO CAN BEST BE DESCRIBED BY THE OXYMORON:

"EVENING STAR."

N. R. BERG

CONGRATULATIONS, FRANK. YOU KNOW, FRANK AND I TRAVEL TOGETHER

AND MAKE GREAT TRAVELING COMPANIONS. WITH HIS PENCHANT FOR

GETTING UP EARLY AND MINE FOR STAYING UP LATE, IT'S LIKE

WORKING TRIPLE SHIFTS.

NOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE BACK A LITTLE FURTHER IN HISTORY TO

1963. TWENTY YEARS AGO WINSTON CHURCHILL WAS MADE AN HONORARY

U.S. CITIZEN....THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION AGREED

TO A HOTLINE WE READ "THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD" AND

WENT TO THE MOVIES TO BE FRIGHTENED BY HITCHCOCK'S "THE

BIRDS"....JACK NICKLAUS WON HIS FIRST MASTERS AND SONNY LISTON


PAGE 16

KO'D FLOYD PATTERSON IN THE FIRST ROUND JOHN KENNEDY WAS

ASSASSINATED....BUT A BRIGHTER NOTE WAS CONTROL DATA'S HIRING

OF TWO YOUNG PILOTS....ONE FRESH OUT OF THE NAVY THE OTHER

THE AIR FORCE — AL NETTEN AND BOYD JONES.

WHEN HE HASN'T BEEN PLAYING SOFTBALL OR CANOEING IN THE

BOUNDARY WATERS, AL NETTEN HAS BEEN PUTTING TOGETHER 20 YEARS

OF EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO CONTROL DATA, STARTING AS AN ENGINEER

IN THE GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS DIVISION IN 1963.

AL WENT ON TO MANAGEMENT POSITIONS IN THE GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS

DIVISION, QA, AND TERMINAL PROGRAM DIVISION....IN 1969, AFTER A

MOVE TO ARIZONA, AL WAS THRILLED TO START UP THE TUSCON

OPERATIONS FOR THE TERMINAL PRODUCTS DIVISION. IT WASN'T UNTIL

1973 WHEN AL WAS MADE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE BUSINESS

MANAGEMENT OFFICE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET AROUND HIS IOWA

STUBBORNESS AND SHUT DOWN THAT TUCSON PLANT.

THE NEXT YEARS WERE DIFFICULT FOR AL....IMAGINE HOW IT MUST

HAVE FELT TO SEE TOM KAMP SPORTING A T-SHIRT THAT ON THE FRONT

SAID "OMEGA WAS MY IDEA"....AND ON THE BACK SAID...."MASS

STORAGE WAS NETTEN'S."


PAGE 17

AL BECAME GENERAL MANAGER, MASS STORAGE SYSTEM IN 1976 AND WAS

PROMOTED TO VICE PRESIDENT, PERIPHERAL SUBSYSTEMS GROUP IN

1978 HIS "MAGNETIC" PERSONALITY MADE HIM A NATURAL FOR HIS

NEW POSITION IN 1981 AS VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS AT

MPI IN 1982 AL WAS MADE PRESIDENT OF MAGNETIC PERIPHERALS,

INC.

TONIGHT WE RECOGNIZE 20 YEARS OF SOLID CONTRIBUTIONS

BY....AL NETTEN.

AND HOW'S THIS OXYMORON FOR A PERSON THAT HAS ALWAYS PUT HIS

PRODUCTS CENTER-STAGE "PERIPHERAL PRODUCTS."

(PAUSE)

LOOKING BACK OVER THE YEARS THERE HAVE BEEN MANY PERSONAL

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND JOYS — BUT NO ONE IN THIS ROOM HAS EVER

STOPPED LONG ENOUGH TO REVEL IN JUST ONE, STATIC

ACCOMPLISHMENT. YOU'VE ALWAYS CONTINUED ON TO GREATER

VISTAS....TO MORE CHALLENGES....TO HARDER WORK TO GREATER

JOY. THIS STYLE OF LIVING HAS BEEN SHARED WITH OUR SPOUSES

HERE TONIGHT.


PAGE 18

AS A SPECIAL RECOGNITION TO ALL THE SPOUSES THAT SHARED OUR

JOYS AND OUR PROBLEMS AND ENABLE US TO CONTINUE ON, WE HAVE A

LITTLE GIFT FOR EACH OF YOU — A PORCELAIN BUTTERFLY. POETS

AND WRITERS FOR AGES HAVE WRITTEN OF THE BUTTERFLY AND ITS

SYMBOLISM. LET ME SIMPLY SAY IT IS AN APPROPRIATE GIFT FOR YOU

BECAUSE IT IS BUSY, IT IS BEAUTIFUL, AND IT SOMEHOW MAKES THE

WORLD A LITTLE NICER PLACE TO LIVE.

I'D LIKE TO ASK BETTY KEYE, DORRIS MILLER AND ELEANOR CHINN TO

COME UP AND ACCEPT A THESE ON BEHALF OF ALL THE SPOUSES. THE

OTHER SPOUSES CAN PICK THEIRS UP AT THE DOOR.

(PAUSE)

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND FOR HELPING US IN SO

MANY WAYS.

AND THANKS FOR COMING AND GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE....WE'LL DO IT

AGAIN.


Documents

25TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR. BUT IT WAS SO …€¦ · the first zeppelin raid on paris. woodrowwilson was barely re-elected, defeating charles evan hughes. jazz was sweeping the country