Marilyn Goodrich

DECconnection founding director

Deceased, 2 March 2023

Pete Durant

DECconnection member

In 1967 I’d been managing a memory test group at Honeywell when some DEC people I knew recommended I interview there. I set it up and set off to the Mill at Maynard to interview.

I had a nice, but short, chat with the manager of the new PDP-11 development group, and then he said “They tell me you’re a good memory guy, so why don’t you spend this time to pick out all the test equipment you will need for the work, and when do you think you could start”?

Does the style sound familiar? Only at DEC!!

I spent 23 satisfying years there, until the special early retirement program in 1999, which my wife and I both took after we both worked the last 5 years in England.

Sandy Mackenzie, U.K.

June 2022

Working in U.K. to set up Reading museum exhibits

I met Ken Olsen in Geneva on my New Hire Induction training.
We had just started the course with a very pompous French instructor. He introduced himself as "my name is Monsieur Pompideau and my wife is Madame Pompideau..."
After lunch he was a totally different character. He was a quivering wreck. He said in a stuttering voice, Attention! Attention!
"The President of the company has come into the building and asked if any New Hire sales courses are going on. Can you believe that? I cannot understand that he has asked such a thing. Why would he want to so such a thing?"
Ken came in minutes later and made us all so welcome. Lovely big smile. Warm blue eyes, and such a soothing voice. Funny too.
He said the main thing as salesmen, is to be honest with your customers, and if in doubt do what is right. Any problems with company rules, politics, and they are many etc. Do that.
If you can't resolve the issue tell them to get in touch with me. You have my permission.
That motivated me tremendously, and I used to tell my customers that story.
Anyway, I am glad his philosophy and values are still shared between us old Decmates.
My duration at Digital was 1987 until 10 years later, with the Compaq takeover.

Sandy Mackenzie, sandyhuntermackenzie@gmail.com

Michael Bujnowski, NH

DECconnection member

The day I saved the Mill. I have been wanting to tell this true story for some time now. So before I forget, here it is:
It was a warm sunny day, as best I can remember, sometime in the early 70s. The parking lot at the Maynard mill complex was full and thousands of employees were hard at work. I worked for a unique part of Digital called Computer Special Systems, or CSS. Business was robust, and customers were lining up to have us develop “Special” interfaces between our renowned Digital computers and their unique gizmos. Life was as good as I can remember and so were the Digital years: we always had a good time at Canobie Lake Park, in Salem, NH and enjoyed the free turkeys at Thanksgiving. Okay, back to the story. It was still a warm and sunny day. Half a day had passed. I know because it was time for lunch: something I always looked forward to.
It was quite a distance from building 21-3 to Tobin’s cafeteria in building 5-5, but worth the walk. Made me feel I did my exercise for the day. This was the time when smoking was prevalent, and pigeons flew in and out the mill windows at will. As I made my way to the café, I can remember how many people I passed that day smoking a cigarette, cigar, or a cherry red pipe. Do you see where this is going?
After lunch, I returned to the lab where I was debugging one of those gizmos in my early engineering days. As I entered the lab, I detected a unique odor which can only be described as a burnt and still smoldering smell. I hastily made my way through the lab to discover the culprit. It was a Flip Chip M115 module gone astray. I powered down the equipment, extracted the module and whisked it away. Any longer and I am sure it would have burst into flames and the consequences could have been devastating.
I am thankful to this day (as I am sure you are) that I passed that day on staying in the café for dessert. And so ends my story “The day I saved the Mill”.  All the very best to my Digital friends, Michael Bujnowski.  mbujnowski@comcast.net

Lawrence Mello, FL

DECconnection member

Larry Mello's confession: While working in Educational Services at Parker Street, I had to go to The Mill for technical information. Being my first time at The Mill, I had to ask for directions at various points. To me, I was going through a maze. After finishing my business, I tried finding my way back. However, being frustrated and too embarrassed to ask for any more help, I kept trying. I finally got to a room with windows overlooking the parking lot near the river. There, I saw my car and thought, I found a shortcut until someone said, “That door is alarmed, it’s an emergency exit.” My response was, “I’ll be at Parker Street before Security gets here.” And with the alarm sounding, I hustled out to my car and was gone before anyone else poked their head out the door.

Sue Lawrence-Longo, MA

DECconnection member

Sue Lawrence-Longo’s confession: I once tried to remove Ken Olsen from the Hudson semiconductor facility. Yup, not my proudest moment. But in my defense, he didn’t look like a corporate executive, and I had never seen him in person. So here’s what happened:
In the early 1980’s, I was the “tour lady” providing tours of the Hudson semiconductor facility to customers, prospects, partners, etc. One afternoon I had just led a tour group into the basement of the facility when I noticed a gentleman in a wrinkled suit standing off to the corner. Due to the chemicals stored there, the basement was off limits to all but those who had prior approval to enter. When I asked the gentleman if he had permission to be there, he simply smiled and showed me his DEC badge. I stammered something like, ”Well I guess you do...” and quickly (translation: I shoved) my tour group back up the stairs and out of the building.
Certain I was going to be fired, I dragged myself to the manager’s office (Dick Plutnicki) and confessed my faux pas. I’m pretty sure Dick didn’t blink for several minutes while he digested my “I just tried to kick Ken Olsen out of the building!” hysterics. And I’m pretty sure I held my breath during his contemplation period. Finally Dick said he thought Ken would appreciate that I took facility safety seriously ... but then warned me to please not ever do that again. I went on to enjoy a 20-year career at DEC, seeing Ken several times during my various marketing activities. Each time I wondered if he remembered me. But I certainly wasn’t going to ask!

  sllongo33@gmail.com

Here is a link to David's lecture on YouTube.

Jackie Kahle

DECconnection member

Click on link below to see Jackie's fascinating history with Admiral Grace Hopper

Grace Hopper, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Me

By Jackie Kahle  jrtkahle@comcast.net

October 21, 2018

John A. Spadafore, LaconiaNH

603.630.3652 (Cell)

I started Digital in the spring of 1980 and got my foot in the door working Security. The first time I met Ken Olson was manning the HLO2 lobby, and my boss happen to be standing behind me when Ken walked through the door. I immediately recognized him, stood up and ask to see his badge. I thought my boos was going have a seizure!! Ken flipped his badge over and I said, “ thank you Ken!” Again, my boss almost had a second seizure, I mean, I addressed him by his first name!!!! For a moment, Ken just stood there and then stepped up to the counter, each out his hand and said, “what is your name sir?” So, I looked at my badge and replied,” when Ken, the badge says John Spadafore, so that must be me!” Right about that time I thought I would heat a thump behind me from my bosses body hitting the floor passed out! Then Ken said to me, “Spadafore, I know a John Spadafore who owns an oil company, is this a relative?”   "It is my dad, Ken, unfortunately, he passed away five years ago and would surely have been proud that I am now employed by you and your company." Ken and I spoke about my day for a bit and told me how he met him and was glad that I was part of the team.

From that day on, whenever Ken would come to Hudson, I would always say hello, and would always have a smile a mile long and always wished me luck with work. I moved from Security to Datacom and while working in Datacom, I was injured by a maintenance cart be driven down the hall by the HLO1 computer room. Sent me to the hospital in an ambulance and was out of work for 8 weeks. When I finally returned, I received a phone call from Ken's administrator and asked if I could come to Ken's office for a meeting. When I got there, Ken and I sat for about an hour and a half and asked me what had happened. After our meeting, Ken said to me, “John, if you need anything, pleased do not hesitate to email or call me.” Talk about a smile ear to ear, he was so sincere and genuine, I wish my dad was alive to hear the story!

Ken, like so many others, you gave us a career and a working family that has never been matched by any other company! Digital was a job with family, I would wake in the morning and couldn’t wait to go to work, it was that much pleasure. As stated many time by others, “Digital years were the best working years of my life, and I truly miss the company and the people that Hudson Semi-Conductor employed.” God Bless you Ken, and thank you for the memories…     John.A.Spadafore@des.nh.gov

When I joined DEC in 1974 all the bathrooms had wood stalls on which there was a lot of graffiti (virtually all of it is no repeatable in public). However the one that struck me was:

 Someday I’m going to own this place. (signed) Ken Olsen

Bob Nusbaum,

Yarmouth Port, MA

DECconnection member

John Holz

DECconnection member

Jack Mileski

Stow MA

DECconnection member

The Story behind this Russian DEC manual: What was an enemy a few weeks before became a very friendly visit!

Very shortly after the Berlin wall fell, about 12 Product line members (including myself) visited Leipzig Germany in East Germany to visit with the foremost Soviet Bloc Computer Engineering Center there. This center was the epicenter of virtually all Soviet bloc hardware and software. Most of the equipment there was DEC equipment (many were smuggled - which, at the time, caused a great deal of difficulty to DEC with the US Govt. on how this stuff was smuggled behind the Iron Curtain). The Soviet Union extensively used DEC designed equipment throughout the Cold War - including their nuclear facilities (they may still be using it today) Given that the Soviet Union was now dissolving, the hundreds of these HW/SW engineers were very anxious to display their knowledge of DEC equipment in order to get jobs with DEC. Therefore they were very accommodating to us. They showed us the smuggled equipment, the many, many reversed engineered PDPs, VAXs, even copies of the DEC100 and other peripheral equipment (they smuggled some but reversed engineered them all). When they manufactured the resulting HW/SW products, the East Germans re-wrote the manuals in Russian. Hence, this is one copy they handed to me. Since it was only a very short time when the Wall came down there was basically no infrastructure. The phone didn't work and those that had to make calls had to drive about 40 miles to Dresden (where there was still heaps of debris and blackened buildings from the fire storm that the late WWII bombing did to Dresden). No way do I ever want to go to a Communist country!

John A. Spadafore

Laconia NH

Karen Hamilton

DECconnection member

R.I.P.

Many years ago, before we had answering machines or voicemail, I came into work on a Tuesday to hear my phone ringing. I answered the call from a co-worker in Geneva who said he’d tried to reach me the day before. I didn’t answer so he phoned my boss’s number. When he didn’t answer my friend called the dept head, and getting worried he phoned Ann (Jenkins) and the Ken. Thinking some disaster might have happened he called the international operator to see why his calls weren’t be answered. She told him “I’m sorry sir, today is Memorial Day – the United States is closed.”   karenhamilton@verizon.net

This is a link to "Old DEC jokes" circulated by the Colorado Springs group based on submission by DEC Connection member Dale Rutschow (R.I.P.)

Newbold Noyes, Maine

This is a follow-up to Newbold's email appearing on our NewsBytes page.

I just received this video link from a DEC producer yesterday, by coincidence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WatY6v2RGmU

This was produced by one of our group, Joe Tyburczy, who lives in Lexington MA.  I'm trying to reach him to find out where he got this transferred, and if I can get some of the other work together, I'll have this transferred & put onto YouTube. I'll also contact the camera man I worked with, who may have more material, including some Olsen interviews.
While at DEC I interviewed a few dozen upper management folk, CEOs etc. from other corporations as well as top DEC management. Ken Olsen was the only one who was genuinely puzzled as to why we would want to interview him. His humility was part shyness I think, part worry that he was not as articulate as some of his contemporaries. He was always sitting at his desk, coat and tie on, looking uncomfortable, but I assumed that was because he didn't like being interviewed.
In one of our first interviews the sound man kept hearing a ticking sound which we couldn't track down. At one point Ken got a call which he took in another office, and the sound man approached his chair and found a piece of the material on the chair arm had come loose. He flicked the little flap of material and it made the ticking sound, so he put a small piece of tape over it. Ken came back & we continued. After a few seconds the sound man heard a scrabbling sound as Ken's fingers found the taped-down bit of material wouldn't flick... he looked down at the chair arm and said "what did you guys do here?  fixed my chair?" It was a big old Naugahyde affair, not the leather that most other CEO's & other DEC VPs had, but an old comfortable thing, big enough for a big confident man who did not need fine furniture impress others. When we had to do another interview, we found the flap of material had been worked loose, we taped it down again.
After my last interview with him, I realized we had left a piece of camera gear in his office, so returned and found him pacing around his office, coat off, tie loosened, with our piece of gear in his hands, talking with Win Hindle.  He was dynamic, vigorous, confident, articulate - I realized I had completely blown every interview I had ever done with him - we should have interviewed him standing, anywhere but behind his desk, with no suitcoat on and with some piece of Digital equipment in hand... I mentioned this to his secretary as I left, and she said that she always insisted that he wear his coat and sit at his desk, looking like a CEO should look - "proper & neat" she said. Well he never really looked "proper & neat," he was always a bit rumpled, his mind far beyond well-tailored suits and new leather arm chairs. A genuine is the word that comes to mind - an honest man - a strange combination of other worldly and down-to-earth.

newnoyes@gmail.com, 4 June 2014

Marcia Russell

DECconnection member

Upon learning of the death of Dave Knoll, Marcia wrote: Dave Knoll and Ed Savage where my first bosses. They gave me sooo many opportunities ..sigh I could not have been as successful w/o their undying support. They allowed me to be the intelligent but also goofy person I was... while doing a whole lot of creative it never happened before work I had lotsa fun too. I remember launching a manufacturing Request and Commit tutorial complete with a chick in a bikini that was named Ophelia Forecast. The physical document/manual got lots of attention and well it should because it was the first launch of the beginning of online electronic data processing directly into a computer.   marciarussell@comcast.net

Tom Hayden

DECconnection member

One day in the early 80s I watched the evening news on TV and saw a report of a meeting between H. Ross Perot and the board of General Motors. I believe it was about the time when GM bought Perot's company, Electronic Data Systems. One piece of video showed Perot in a limousine being driven into the underground parking garage at GM headquarters.
Later that same evening, I accompanied my wife on a shopping trip to the Burlington Mall. While waiting for her to come out of a store, I took a seat on a bench in the mall. I looked around and saw - there, among all the other ordinary guys sitting and waiting for (I assume) their mates - Ken Olsen. Such a difference between H. Ross Perot and Ken Olsen!       

DEC/Compaq (1974-2002) Maynard, Marlboro, Spit Brook, Merrimack geezer123v@verizon.net

Lyle Hughes

DECconnection member

HOW MY 36 YEAR DEC CAREER STARTED: I started at DEC in the Mill in 1974, badge #39667. I was hired as a Data Comm. Tech. but my Manager only had a req. for a Logistics administrator, but he said he’d get it changed after I started. I suspect this was so he wouldn’t run afoul of any Field Service job classifications.
I was in a operations group providing computer access to many Engineering and support functions mainly in Maynard ML, PK’s and Marlboro. Our computers, DEC 10’s and 11’s were located in ML5B (below the pond water level). Our clients connected through a myriad of mainly hard wired lines that ran throughout the Mill, and a “high speed” 9600 BPS line to PK and MRO. Originally, if someone needed a line to one of the systems, a work order would be filled out to plant engineering. Weeks later it got installed, (sometimes days if side deals were made at the Pub on Main St.), usually by running another 4 wire phone line from their desk to ML5B, or the nearest phone room for remote users. Repairs usually meant field service would be requested to get involved, Corporate telecomm primarily supported voice. The process and delays were unacceptable for most users and management, which is why I was hired, to facilitate new data comm. orders, installs and maintenance for our group.
My first project was to decipher and map all of the non-telco cabling 25 pair and larger, and punch down blocks in the Mill. You heard right, every building starting with ML 3-5 where our group and our public terminal room was located, down to ML5B. I started with a clip board, voltmeter and map of the mill. Every day I would trace the overhead cable to it’s cut down block, check for voltage or current, count the connections, label it and move to the next one. My neck hurt from always looking up. After 2 months I convinced my boss that the job was bigger than was scoped, (I was still working in building 3) and he allowed me to hire a temp to help out. That project took almost a year to complete, but in the process I learned every nook and cranny of the Mill, and we could then connect a new user in 1 day.
Like computers, network technology quickly became more sophisticated (e.g.DECnet, SNA,IP, Web and wireless) as did my training and skills. By 1979 my team grew to 6 people, I was promoted and we became part of Corporate Telecomm’s new data support function. I went on to work for Compaq, and HP in many Network Consulting and Management roles in services, and in the last 15 years as a Global Service Delivery Manager in HP’s Enterprise Services organization.
In 2010, like many, I was WFR’d , but I am very grateful and proud, to have spent 36 rewarding and memorable years working for DEC, Compaq and HP and the many great people I met, and worked with including my wife. And it all began at ML3-5 in September of 1974.    Lyle Hughes- HughesLT1@yahoo.com

Joseph Nahil

DECconnection member

Ken and I flew in one of the DEC jets to Toronto, Canada, to an industry convention. He was the key note speaker and I was dutifully along to play interference with members of the press. They were never Ken’s favorite people. All the way up, he smiled through his gritted teeth and would always change the subject when it was suggested that he should – at least – look at the script. God forbid! We had a few DEC security
folks with us and when we arrived at the hotel, we were whisked away to a private suite. Security thought it best that Ken relax in the suite, but I decided to go and get the lay of the land. I wandered to the press room and then downstairs to an attached shopping plaza. One of the shops was a fine leather store featuring Canadian leather, and since I needed a new brief case, I went in. and as I was selecting a nice black case, I heard, “ I like the brown one better.” I turned around and it was Ken smiling. I said “What are you doing here.”
He replied, What are YOU doing here?” I bought the brief case and we both went up stairs to find the security guys didn’t know he was gone.          Joe Nahil, nanapa@comcast.net

Jack Mileski

Stow MA

DECconnection member

During the blizzard of '78 Gov Dukakis banned the travel of roads in Eastern MA. This went on for a week.
I got cabin fever so I drove to the Mill. The place was totally empty when I was roaming my office in Bldg 5-5.

Who do I run into? It was Ken Olsen!  Did he defy the Gov. ban (like me) or was he there all the time? I never asked him.

Jack Mileski

Stow MA

DECconnection member

In the late 80's I went to DECUS-Australia in Canberra (the Capital). During a mid-week break, some people went skiing and some of us got on a 12 hour round trip to the deep space tracking center in no-man's land where they had a bunch of VAXes controlling the center. About half way out to the center we stopped the buses for a steak cookout in a very small park. I was sitting next to a customer during the trip. When we got to the park there were not enough picnic tables for people to sit. The customer I was with sat down on the ground. Unfortunately, he sat in a pile of kangaroo dung. He tried to wash it off in a river nearby but it didn't stop the stink! I was afraid that he would now sit back near me for the entire remaining 9 hours of the trip. However, when I got back on my bus, he was in the next one in the back with all the other people massing up front (even without a seat). When I got back to Maynard I told a bunch of people that story. One commented: "Was that a customer? Why didn't you give him your pants?" I was a very loyal employee of DEC for over 25 years - BUT NOT THAT LOYAL!!!

Jack Mileski

Stow MA

DECconnection member

Ray Humphrey

Sudbury MA

DECconnection member

I joined DEC from Xerox in 1982 after spending some wonderful interviews with Ken, Ed Schwartz, Win Hindle, John Sims, Al Bertocchi, etc.
Shortly afterwards I recommended to Ken that we needed photo identification (ID) badges. He responded that he "knew everyone in Digital" and that, indeed, he had hired many folks, their parents and, in some cases, their grandparents. "there would be no photo badges within Digital Equipment Corporation"
Several weeks later at about 5:30 a.m., on a Monday morning I received a telephone call that went something like the following: Ray, I wandered through The Mill right after midnight. Do you know how many strange faces I saw!"
We instituted "flying squads" throughout DEC to implement photo ID badges shortly thereafter!

Galen Davis

Phoenix AZ

DECconnection member

I am new to this DEC Connection site but not new to the "low badge number syndrome."  It was a status symbol due to the sequencing of corporate worldwide new hires badges. Employees returning with a gap in service could apply for "their" old number back. Your badge number became yours and was retired when you left the company. My badge in 1962 was #307 and I wore it proudly until 1992. We would track the number of employees with badges lower than ours .. to Ken's #1. In the 90's there were an amazing number of two and three digit badge numbers in the company. When visiting facilities we would pay courtesy calls on lower badge numbers merely to congratulate them on their longevity. DEC always remembered it's veteran's anniversaries with awards and dinners. The recognition was transparent to pay grade or position in the company. My badge was always the introduction to a story of "DEC in the early days."

Notes from webmaster:

• Here is the list of first 100 badge numbers that Galen compiled.

• Here is a series of posts from our original Member Forum about "The Lowest Badge Number I Ever Met" (begun by Scott Harker)   see some other archived postings at bottom of page

• 3 members of the first 100 employees are now DEC Connection members: Art Clockedile #40, Cliff Fuller #49, and Stephen Lambert #74.

• 

Mike Schopeke, loyal customer

Daily Herald

Chicago IL

DECconnection member

Jack Mileski

Stow MA

DECconnection member

If you ever worked in the Mill, you may be aware that in the summer time, tar could leak from the roof to the top floor of one of the Mill buildings. One day, a salesman from France showed up with one of his best customers from France. In those days, everyone wore suits to work. This French executive had a lily white sports jacket. As he was walking in Bldg. 5-5 a bit of tar fell on his white jacket. The salesperson tried to wipe it off only to leave a giant tar smudge on his jacket. Apparently it was the only jacket he brought with him. For the next two days, he could be seen walking around the Mill with this giant tar smudge on his jacket!

Tom McIntyre

Harvard MA

DECconnection member

When I came to DEC in 1978 I was working on 5-5 and would often wander down through the board shop on the way to Terminal Engineering. There was a lady with a single digit badge number who was attaching the handles to the board using a riveting machine. At that time she had been there 20 years I suppose. I remember someone remarking that her stock options were worth several times her annual income. Grin
My best Ken story was when I was working in the Mill and we were trying to find the light control for one of the crackerbox conference rooms on 5-5 before the renovation. My software development gang worked very strange hours and it was around 9:00 pm. We were climbing all over the place trying to trace the wiring for the flourescent fixture when Ken walked up and asked what we were doing. When we told him, he pointed out the breaker box about 15 feet away behind a panel. When I asked him how he knew it was there, he said because he put it there when they put up the jury rigged partitions.

Will Emerson

Maynard MA

DECconnection member

Bob Moore

Burlington MA

DECconnection co-founder

Deceased, July 8, 2017

I remember when they had the first Board Of Director's meeting in Concord VRO5, some time in the mid-80s. The buildings at VRO were built to DEC spec and the first one had this really neat Boardroom on the second floor. The building was designed with an entrance on each level at ground level. Obviously the ground had to have been seriously rearranged to make this happen.

Anyway as I recall, the meeting was to take place at a time of year when tulips were not in bloom. However when we all came to work that day the upper and lower walkways were surrounded with at least half-jillion RED AND YELLOW TULIPS IN FULL BLOOM Wow Mother Nature had to be really amazed at what had happened in her back yard overnight.
The rest of the story is that after the last Limo had departed and the Board has all gone back wherever they came from, an announcement was made, "anyone who wished to take home a tulip, may do so after work." And we all did because it was so easy. None of the tulips had been actually planted in the soil but they came in a pot and the pot simply was placed in its entirety in the ground. I'm sure this whole operation had been out-sourced as it happened so quick.

Jack Mileski

Stow MA

DECconnection member

In the late '70s a young DEC engineer, Brian Hessler, was asked to visit some customers in Europe and some DEC sites. Brian was never out of the US in his life. His first stop was to visit a PDP-11 customer outside of Amsterdam  (a parts manufacturer). After a red eye flight to Schipol airport in Amsterdam, Brian exited customs and was greeted by a limousine driver who held up a sign saying "Mr. Hessler". There was a drive for about 45 minutes outside of Amsterdam. But the limousine driver did not speak English and Brian didn't speak Dutch, so there was no conversation between them. After his arrival, the plant executive offered some coffee and a pastry and started a small talk conversation: "How was the trip?". "Have you ever been to Europe?" Blah, blah, blah for about 10-15 minutes. Then the executive said: "How are things going for Kraft Foods?". Brian answered" "Kraft Foods?" After a bit of confusing bantering, it became obvious that Brian was in the wrong place! This wasn't a parts manufacturer. It was a cookie factory. His customer was totally on the opposite side of Amsterdam! They called Brian a cab and he finally arrived at the parts manufacturer 3-4 hours late. God knows what happened to the Kraft Foods Mr. Hessler left abandoned at the Schipol Airport?

Kerry Bensman
Broomfield CO

DECconnection member

I had graduated from M.I.T. in June 1969 and had taken a job as a newbie at a major manufacturing company. Several months later I was being assigned to work in Pittsburgh PA which for some reason didn't seem right for me. So I sent my resume out to a few headhunters and, lo and behold, I was granted an interview in the mill in late winter. Not many of us (I had a four digit badge number) may still remember those days. So I arrive early and am kept cooling my heels for over an hour. Finally, I met with the hiring manager (anyone remember Maury F.) who invited me to the Mill's cafeteria. I settled on one of now famous hamburgers, which tasted like compressed computer chad from the paper tapes being produced in those days. Afterwards, I was offered one of two jobs, one for small computers (PDP-8) and the other for a big computer (PDP-6). So in my infinite wisdom, I figured big was better than small and chose the latter.
So what was my reasoning in joining DEC in 1969? This is true. I figured than any company that could mess up the interview process so bad and have such lousy cafeteria food had to have something going for it. Little did I know.
P.S. The bar and the deli across the street from the mill entrance had nothing to do with it.
P.S.S. My first "office" was next to Bob Lane's and across from Stan Olsen's. The stories I could tell. And I still miss Ethel Lane to this day.

Hank Vezina

Brookline NH

DECconnection member

Deceased, Nov. 9, 2012

Edmond Hennessy

NH, USA

Worked for mighty DEC in the 70's and early 80's.
There were many, times when Ken & Stan Olsen and members of the Executive Team attended events.
Always interesting to engage with this group of unique individuals.
Started with DEC in the field and then migrated to a role in the Product Line (then became a Business Unit and eventually an Industry Group).
While in the field - our branch office was near Bridgeport - where Ken Olsen's daughter attended school.
Ken would make a point to drop-in at our office - hardly recognizable, as the Founder & CEO of one of the Industry's glamour Computer Makers and braintrust behind DDP and Minicomputers. He was open - sincere - the genuine article. And, he made the trip in his Ford Pinto.

Before joining DEC - a recruiter approached me and asked, if I wanted to join a "do your own thing" company (DEC was doing $200 million annually at the time), plus, he indicated that the Founder Ken Olsen's mantra was "in the final analysis, people will do the right thing."
This became an element of the DEC Creed, which was actually put to practice.
About a year ago, our firm published an article titled, "Entrepreneurs Met Along The Way - Are They A Reproducible Breed?" Ken Olsen was the headliner in the article, however many of the other Entrepreneurs profiled actually were ex-DEC employees.  Another testimonial to the impact DEC and Ken Olsen had on the Industry. Clear that there are multitudes of people that were directly impacted, by the DEC experience. Here's a link to the article and a tribute to the man.
Ken Olsen's impact - will not be forgotten - it is enduring.
Edmond Hennessy

Jack Conaway
Digital

1979-1993

DECconnection member

Bruce Lynn Lexington, MA USA

DECconnection member

Jim Raffa

Stow, MA

USA

DECconnection member

My first day at Digital in 1978 was a Monday in February. It was a dark day with light snow and with a forecast of a severe Northeaster expected over the next 24 hours. I signed in, signed all my papers, was briefed on my position, met my new boss, sat at my desk for less than 1 hour. As the day finished, I said good bye to my new acquaintances. I knew my drive back from the Merrimack, NH facility to Stow, MA was going to be slow as there were 6 inches of snow on the ground when I left the facility. I did not return to work for over a week. The snow storm turned into the Blizzard of '78.
I knew that I was a new employee with no sick or vacation time built up. Therefore, I expected that February was going to be a tight month financially for me and my wife with over a week of no pay. However, when I arrived at the Merrimack, NH facility, the first thing my new boss said to me was that Ken Olsen had approved payment for all employees, even me the new employee, of salaries for the time missed because of the blizzard. The time that I missed was not to be docked from my sick or vacation time. This was one of the many wonderful experiences that I had while working at Digital and my beginning admiration for a man that remembered his employees as much as making great products and being profitable.

Bob Glorioso

Stow, MA

USA

DECconnection member

Jack Mileski

Stow MA

DECconnection member

In the mid-70's in the bathroom in the Mill on Bldg 5-5, there was some graffiti on the bathroom stall that said: "Someday I'm going to own this place" - signed Ken Olsen. Of course, I doubt Ken wrote it.

Faye Detsky-Weil

Del Mar CA

DECconnection member

A Digital Experience - by Faye Detsky-Weil: Monster.com asked people to write to them about their best bosses.

The best boss I ever had was someone who cared about me and my future. He took the time to talk to me about what I wanted to do and where my interests were. He had me write objectives for my job and for my career. At the time I dreaded it and thought of it as punishment, only to look back and realize that he was doing me a favor. He was the first boss I had who did this for me and I realized in the years that followed that he was not typical of most managers. Many have to write up performance reviews and objectives as a job requirement. He was my mentor. I was rather young at the time, but I was not afraid to talk to him about my goals. He encouraged my talking to him and knew that I was destined for a better and more fulfilling career. He saw my potential and took an interest. After I moved on, he contacted me about a position in his department. I turned it down and have always wondered where I would be had I accepted it. We worked together at Digital Equipment Corporation, the best company I ever worked for. I am still in contact with some of my coworkers, but I regret not having kept in touch with him. I thank him for making me feel respected and empowered. That man is John Doherty.

Faye Detsky-Weil, Sept 1980–May 1986 (Tax Department and Educational Services) - email Webmaster to contact Faye.