Page 58 - Gary's Book - Final Copy 7.9.2017_Active

Kong. He said the assignment needed to be filled soon and asked me to spend time
over the weekend discussing it with Sue and that we would go over the details mid-
week.

Sue and I spent the entire weekend looking at maps, calling family, and playing the
“what if” game. We spent time soul-searching; we were concerned about school,
church, the distance from our family, expenses, and the timeframe. Despite our

concerns, our answer was, “YES! Hong Kong, here we come!”

First, Sue and I both had a one-on-one interview with an outside psychologist, and
we both had a written interview followed by a full medical examination. Sue was
interviewed later again because Dow Corning wanted to be sure she understood the
demands of the job and my heavy travel schedule. Since I was the first American

with Dow Corning to be assigned to the Asian culture, going as a “trailblazer” was
of concern to me and to my family and to the company. Would we like the food?
Could we adapt to the crowded environment? Could we understand and relate to
the people? What about the languages – Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese? One of
my favorite sayings has always been, “You can design success and you can design

failure.” Dow Corning could not afford to make a major mistake; neither could we.
Prior experiences of relocating executives and their families to Europe were not
entirely successful. The Asian business plan required quick penetration to meet the
corporate objectives; this meant “we” had to acclimate immediately.

It was 1974. Before accepting this assignment from our home in Cherry Hill, New
Jersey, Mr. Bill Lowrey and his wife, Jan, took us to Tokyo and Hong Kong for a

ten day get-acquainted and acceptance tour. It was a shock being introduced to
very small apartments (2,000 square feet), very expensive groceries, outrageously
priced gasoline and very crowded streets. Not being able to communicate in the
languages certainly helped me to understand how it feels to be a minority; I could
surely relate. Sue’s parents took care of Anne and Greg in our absence.

We received the royal treatment with the best hotels, food, wine and first-class

flights serving prime rib and providing entertainment. There were to be some perks
for the family and some financial assistance since I was only making about
$25,000 plus bonuses. The family would get leave to go home once a year, and we
would have a full-time, live-in maid. The kids would go to an international
American school. I would receive four to six week annual vacations, and all our

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