Page 60 - Gary's Book - Final Copy 7.9.2017_Active

rates, gasoline was $5.00 per liter, school for each child was $3,000 to $5,000 per
year, food was out-of-sight ($5.00 for a small watermelon). The typical bargains
were cameras, clothing, shoes, and flowers. With all the adjustments and
obligations by Dow Corning, our expenditures were approximately $275,000 per

year. The company paid a onetime separate fee of $50,000 for my membership to
the Shek O Golf and Country Club, which was the second-best club in Hong Kong.
With Hong Kong being a British colony at the time, Dow Corning paid $100,000
for my boss’s membership who was a British citizen. The country clubs did not
allow golf carts; old women caddies were used, so we, for sure, got our exercise.
We both had to have two members of the clubs to propose our memberships; this
took about a year to secure. We also had the pleasure of joining the American Club

of Hong Kong, which provided good hamburgers and French fries that the kids
enjoyed.

I started out with Mr. H. Takahashi, who was the marketing and office manager in
Hong Kong, and Mr. H. Hotta, who was the marketing and office manager in
Singapore; both had one inside and outside salesman and a secretary.

Being an American company in an Asian culture brought to the forefront numerous
differences in pay scales, performance expectations, reward systems, insurance
coverages, hiring procedures, releasing practices and work ethics. These
differences required me to put on my human resources cap and draft new HR
policies and settle current employee situations in preparation for hiring new
employees. The United States unions have many benefits, but have you ever heard
that when an employee goes on vacation, his or her salary is increased 10% during

that period? Why not? This was protocol in Southeast Asia – and expected! After
all, you do spend additional monies when you’re on vacation!

Our silicon metal manufacturing plant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, actually had a
witch doctor on staff - yes, really! This was their custom and, therefore, a
requirement. He was the first one hired, and if Dow Corning closed the plant, he’d

be the last to go. He came to work every day dressed in his feathers and his
bangles. He had incenses of all kinds. We conversed periodically discussing the
people, our employees.

Sue periodically had the pleasure of traveling with the top executives of Dow
Corning. On October 9, 1975, Dr. Bill Goggin, our chairman, Bill Hargraves, our

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