Page 204 - MY STORY

I cannot begin to describe the “care and feeding” offered

to me by this motley crew. Whenever I had a question or
concern over anything technical they took the time, and
effort, to explain it to me until they were sure I understood.

Over time I came to appreciate that this crew was indeed
exceptional and could never be considered as second
stringers. True, they were absolutely irreverent and did

not care a lot about personal appearance, but — they were
among the most creative, brilliant, and “committed to
excellence” people I had ever worked with.

Their creativity was expressed soundly when we had

periodic reviews by DoD and my crew completely
outshone the aircraft crew across the street. We had about
¼ the number of people and about 20% of Aircraft
Company R&D funds but seemed to get the most

complimentary remarks on their innovation and
experimental methodologies.

Their state of irreverence never changed, however. Even
as director, they had no fear of strolling into my office to

let know when I screwed up in very direct terms. It was
probably one of the best working relationships I’ve ever
had as a manager.