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I worked at TMD 1976-1982- A Great Co.!

Alphonse

Aluminum
Joined
Mar 18, 2007
Location
Cleveland, OH USA
Greetings to all. I just found this site and reading the posts brings back a lot of nice memories for sure!

I started at W&S Cleveland TMD in 1976, on the night shift, as a production welder fitter in the Machine pan-base fabrication dept. ["the tin bldg."]part of the welding dept 56. Building machine bases for the 1SC, 2SC, and 3SC's. I worked about 3 yrs. at this, then was promoted to Welder "A" to replace a retiring day shift welder doing assembly alterations, bldg.,plant maintenance,and misc. bench welding of conponant parts welding. I was Welder "A" for about another 3 years untill the 1981 layoffs booted me out on re-arrangement to the Solon Rd. plant to replace the retiring "A" welder there. My bosses thru the years[to name a few from memory] at TMD were
George"bud" Ames, John Cirfranic, Dick Peck, John Destefanis, A Mr. Fraily?,Lou Horvath,and At Solon Rd.- George Herman, Rocco Defranco. I have an uncle [Sam C.] that worked[25 yrs.] and a cousin,[Tony C] [9 yrs.]as electrical assemblers.
I made great friends and miss long time welders+ Frank S., Jack ?. Cato M., Jerry H., Steve H. and several in the panbase dept. who's names escape me at the moment.
It was truly a great place to work, then the 1978 strike was a bad event that bruised a lot of good people. Then the lean and meam 80's corporate take overs, along with unfair foriegn competition, really showed man's human potential..."to strip all that was good about America". Peace be to all and God bless,
Al Diciolla Jr.
 
ALPHONSE

ENJOYED YOUR STORY. YOUR THREAD STIRRED A LOT OF MEMORIES. I HAD FORGOT ABOUT THE PAN-BASE FAB DEPT. A LOT OF THINGS CHANGED SINCE YOU LEFT TMD, NONE FOR THE BETTER. I WAS THERE TO SEE THE TUNNEL AND TIN BUILDING TORN DOWN. THEN TO SOLON AND THE END OF W/S. A LOT OF PEOPLE YOU MENTIONED ARE NOT WITH US ANYMORE.
THANKS FOR THE POST
 
ALPHONSE:

I WANT TO THANK YOU, ALSO, FOR THIS POSTING. YOUR STORY IS A GREAT REPRESENTATION OF WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF IN THIS ALUMNI FORUM - THE PERSONAL TALES OF WHAT PEOPLE HAD EXPERIENCED WHEN WORKING FOR THAT COMPANY CALLED W/S THAT WAS MADE UP OF SO MANY GREAT PEOPLE.

YES, IT IS GOOD THAT WE CAN HELP EACH OTHER, WHETHER ALUMNI OR NOT, WITH TECHNICAL MATTERS PERTAINING TO W/S MACHINES, BUT THIS PERSONAL STUFF IS VITAL TO SHARE AS WELL, AND HELPS TO KEEP THAT GREAT COMPANY "ALIVE" IN OUR MEMORIES.

I WISH MORE ALUMNI WOULD COME FORWARD AND SHARE EXPERIENCES AS YOU HAVE, AND WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR MORE FROM YOU ANY TIME.

THANKS AGAIN,

JACK
 
Al,

Thanks for the Post. I was at W/S and gone before the end of 1976, so I could not have known you, but others and I sure appreciate you taking the time to stir up the memories. Like Jack and Ken, I would like to see others share their memories too.

John
 
Thanks John, Jack, & Ken for the replies...I guessed that several of the "old timers" are in W&S heaven by now.
I tried to "rustle up some reminisce" and recall some of the "happenings" while working at W&S. They had a really nice homestyle cafeteria for "ALL" of us. The W&S Christmas "surf & turf" [a giant steak & whale of a piece of fish diner with all the sides and desert] sure was a nice event hosted by the co. The daily menu of cooked foods served by real people, was 1000% better than the crumby food vending we have to live with in todays companies.
I remember [1980?]when they moved out dept. 38 area tooling services, and dug out the old wooden floors and put in giant concrete floors for new machines. I really thought the company was making a comeback at that time.
I was a high school trained machinist, and found work in a little machine shop durring the recession of the 1980's...Then landed a good job as a toolroom machinist at a large Brookpark OH co., Teledyne Republic MFG.. A manufacturer of valves for industry. Then as luck would have it, another recession hit us in 1991 and wiped that company [and me]out as well. I worked in home construction a while as an equipment operator, and later in commercial construction as a truck driver for about 10 years, then got back into mfrg., as a QA floor inspector [all I could do...body is almost worn out!]
"That's the way the pickle squirts" as John Cirfranic, God bless him, use to day.

[ 03-26-2007, 11:37 AM: Message edited by: Alphonse ]
 








 
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