7 replies to this topic

[ibm at the fair]

Hello,

I'm looking to re-connect with any former IBMer's who worked at the IBM Pavillion during 1965 when I was working there. I was transferred there from DP Headquarters in White Plains. If any of my former co-workers from 1965 are out there I'd really like to hear from you.


Oren Kugler

[Bill Cotter]

Welcome, Oren. What did you do at the pavilion?

[Randy Treadway]

I remember seeing somebody on another board a few years ago- maybe on the BBQ Productions website- who worked at the IBM Pavilion and met his future bride working at the Fair. Or maybe it was posted by the bride who was working at the NYWF and met her future spouse who worked at the IBM Pavilion. Anyway, that's one that I remember seeing. If Curtis still has his message board up, that would be a place to explore.

Oren, what does the "DP" in DP Headquarters stand for?

[Randy Treadway]

Oh, NOW I see- you're Oren Kugler and DP is Data Processing!

Oren's story is here:
http://www.nywf64.com/kugler01.shtml

Maybe that's where I saw something several years ago and vaguely recalled it.
I wrote to Curtis anyway and asked if they still have a log of people's recollections when they were collecting research for their documentary. There were a bunch of former pavilion employees who posted on that message board or blog- whatever it was called.

[Randy Treadway]

I'd like a model like this to play with--- run the grandstand up and down, lower "Mr. Narrator" up and down his pole--- really cool.

[Brian Cartier]

I'm actually an IBM 'brat' - my dad worked for IBM for 37 years until he retired in '89. He was a CE - Customer Engineer. He was attending training in NYC for several months in 1965. I think that it was on the 1401 system (I don't think that the 360 had been announced yet) Back then, IBM would move the entire family wherever you were assigned - even if it was only a temporary position. I was 5 yrs old at the time. They put us up in a townhouse in Queens. I don't remember the exact address, but it was within walking distance of the fair. I was told that it was one of a number of houses that they had rented for workers at the pavillion. I do know that we were given lots of passes for the fair - we ended up going almost every weekend until it closed.

[Mike Kraus]

Oh how I envied those IBM FEs. They had the finest of everything.
I was an FE for a DP company, and I ran into those guys at customers who had an IBM installation.
IIRC, most were assigned to just one site, while I had to travel all over God's green acre.
But I imagine the pressure was tremendous.
And, they were required to wear white shirts with their suits.

[Brian Cartier]

Sometime in the early 70s they did swith from CEs to FEs. And yes, they had white ties, dark suits, no jewelry (for electrical safety) and clip-on ties - in case they got caught in the machanics of a printer or tape drive or keypunch or what have you.

My dad did have to service multiple accounts - and he did get called out in the middle of the night, or on holidays. But we did have a lot of benefits as well. When I was 14, we got moved to Heidelberg, Germany. It was supposed to be for 2 years, but my parents stayed for 13! After I came back to the States for college, I got 2 free trips per year to Europe to visit them until I turned 21.