W/S Alumni - Where are You?

Since I am relatively new to this forum, this may be an old subject, but I'm curious: If you are a W/S Alumni where are you, and what are you doing?

I am working in a Machining and Manufacturing Job Shop in Zanesville Ohio.

John
Sales Engineering
(hired by Roger Bitner)
1972 to 1976

John (turning head)

[ 10-10-2007, 07:49 AM: Message edited by: Ken Hlatky ]

I worked at W/S from 1964 / 1967 in Depts. 32 Planners and Dept.38 DeVleig Jig Borer / Mills.
I left W/S and went to work in another small AeroSpace Shop on a Huge G & L Horizontal Jig Borer / Mill.
I then changed gears and became a Cleveland , Ohio Police Officer for 24 years before going on a partial disability pension .
I now live in Uhrichsville , Ohio out on a dead end farm road ....LOVING IT >
Jerry

---RETIRED---

REG APPRENTICE,SUPERVISOR, MACHINING AND ASSEMBLY METHODS,
NON-STOCK ORDER DEPT. 1957 TO 1992

CROSSED THE THREE WAY BRIDGE DURING MY CAMPING DAYS IN SOUTHERN OHIO
KenH

BTW ...adding my full name...I could not edit the above Post (too late)

John J. Hazucha
Sales Engineering
(hired by Roger Bitner)
1972 to 1976

Bump:

Hello - Anyone home but Jerry, Ken, and I? It seems like there ought to be more Alumni out there would like to share their stories.

John

Hi!

Richard Outlaw
Field Service Engineer
Hired by George Herman
1974 to 1984 then 1985 to 1986

Rich:

Nice to hear from you and also the mention of George Herman, " the Godfather ", what a guy, nothing but the highest respect for George, we did a bang-up job in the non-stock service parts business with George at the helm and supporting my role as non-stock provider for ten years. From our association as Apprentices in the fifties till the end in 92, George did a lot of gutsy things that not many managers at W/S ever did.

I want to testify to some special strengths that George Herman had, and used so well. First, his diplomatic and proper handling of customers with unusally tough problems of a service nature. He got them quieted down and laid out for them an action plan that defused the situation and gave the customer confidence. Second, I want to mention the way he staffed the service dept. when that was his job. This was especially evident during some hard times when we had a huge number of electronic problems with some controls on the small SC machines and a number of men were hired just out of the armed forces where they got their training in electronics maintenance and repair. This was the first influx of guys into our service group who were not graduates of the W/S Apprentice program. All of those who worked in our territory (shuttling in and out from Cleveland) did great work for us.

Then, of course, George was a great guy!

Jack, Thanks for the reply, you made my day.
KenH

Jack Ubersax...the great N.E. Sales Guy. I was hired with Larry Cooper, (in phila). We went to the shuttle service schooling at 55th and Carnegie. I cut my teeth for you at the grinding division updating a W&S 5330 control. Worked for Russ Hill, and I am still at it...Last survivor of the Philadelphia office. we are still having fun...just the two of us...I had to leave W&S in '89 due to the "lack of direction" and the excess travel involved. good move for me...Have not talked to cooper forever...what is he doing...Have his address somewhere, but not the best file person...HA!...

Jack...Actually Frank Wolfe told me about your letter, and a customer told me you went on line...Whoever devised, good job. Anyway, i visited frank Wolfe 6 years ago at his hideaway in the white mountains... Not my kinda liuving, but frank really knew the area. his wife Ann died three years ago, and he found his high school sweetheart who was looking for himafter her husband died...fathom that...Anyway, he lives in Georgia.

Frank and Muriel Wolfe
1005 Somerton Place
Cumming Georgia 30040-7896

I really have no clue what he did or is doing with his white mountain cabin....

Hello

I am Terry Mchugh. I started W/S in 1973 and am still working for them as Giddings & Lewis. I just saw a SC 25 with a GE 7544 control in Milwaukee still turning out parts. They don't make like that any more. I live in Chicago but come back to Cleveland to visit Family every year. Merry Christmas to every one.
Terry McHugh

Terry
Welcome to the forum.
Any memories you might have about W/S would be appreciated by us all.
John

Is it me or is this place getting drafty ????

Would be good to hear some more W/S Alumni stories...

Anybody out there ?

W&S Reg. Apprentice 1962-1964

1960-1982.

I remember Ken Hlatky as a Reg. Apprentice Supervisor with good memories and I also have good memories with The Warner & Swasey Co.

I started in New Phil., Ohio plant after 6 months we were all laid off.
I was rehired in Cleveland 6 months later and continued with the Apprenticeship program until graduation.

After graduation I went with the Textile Div. when I could not get into the Gradall Div.
Transferred to Bessemer City, NC when the Div. moved and then transferred to Atlanta, Ga. First as a Service Eng. then was promoted to Sales Eng.

With W&S I travled around the world and have many stories to tell the grandkids.

In 1984 when W&S was split up our div. was sold to Barber Colman company who also mfg. textile equipment, they only wanted us only for the parts business. Their main plant was in Rockford, Il. They had a office in Gastonia, NC not far from the Bessemer city plant which was closed. In 1986 Barber Colman was sold to a brand new company that was but together by a Washington DC lobbyist and a business man. They named the company Reed Chatwood to honor their grandparents.

I continued to be be a Sales Eng. with Reed Chatwood untill 1993 when the company was in trouble and they asked me to take over as Service Manager, which I did for one year at which time they decided to move the office to Greeenville, SC. I left when they moved the office as at that time I had a 24/7 hour task as Service Mgr. At which time we moved to Beaufort, SC. Will not go into the details, why we moved to Beaufort to save time.

Worked in several car lots and a motel for a short period of time then went with a small Rep. firm out of Spartanburg, SC called Wacco Inc.

They sold Industial & Food / Drink Sanitary Valves & Instrumentation equipment.
I was a Sales Rep. for Wacco Inc.from 1997 until 2004 at which time I retired.
With Wacco I travled out of Beaufort, SC to Fl., southern half of Ga. and parts of SC.

Now I golf ( win more than lose ) , volunteer and work hard around the house. I am also glad I am not trying to sell equipment in this economy.

Tom Richardson

Tom,

Good to get a response from out there.... By all means please share your stories when you have the time.... and your grand kids will have a record if you post those memories here.

Thanks again
John

Jerry Willard

I am not a W/S alumni, but when I worked for Okuma Machinery here in NY my boss in the Field Service Dept. was Jerry Willard, formerly of W/S. I went to college in Cleveland (CWRU) so he and I could at least share stories about the corned beef sandwiches from Hatton's deli.

He went with Okuma when they moved to Charlotte, NC in 1988, then worked a time for Clark Equipment, and lived in Statesville, NC, I believe, with his wife Ruth. After that, we lost contact.

Jerry was hands down the finest boss I've ever had. I hope others can say the same about him.

Here is a recent video from U-tube showing TMD present condition

Where has all the W&S employees that use to post on here gone?

Well...Merry Christmas & Happy New year from Cleveland OH USA
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjA4d8EuPPc

PS; Why don't some of the guests at the W&S allumni dinner meetings post on here? I remember some of them, or recall thier names while working there. Tell them to post some reminise for goodness sakes!

Christmas Greetings to all

Christmas Greetings to all from me too.

I also wonder where everybody went.... like I said it's getting a little drafty in here....

Alphonse = the video you posted is from 2006 - it made me sad to see the wreckage - especially the Test Floor.

Best to all and all the Best

John
(I can remember "Ike")

EDIT - The music on the Video probably should have been that song from the 70's .... "Dust In The Wind" -