February 2nd, 2009
I guess being in water up to my knees, after midnight and with the temperature below freezing was just too much:
(Posted by Ron)
It was a real shock to leave the relative excitement and security of my Navy job and return to West Virginia with a family and no skills that translated back to civilian life. My father-in-law helped me get a job with Ashland Oil, the company at which he had an executive position. It didn’t pay much and I soon found a better paying job as a laborer in the refinery. That lasted until I discovered I hated working in water and cold weather at night. I decided to try college again and was able to get one of the two jobs at the refinery that were designed to help students go to school by providing flexible work scheduling.
I re-entered Marshall University only to be confronted with that same 1.9 grade point average. Although I had been gone four years all of my poor freshman year performance had patiently waited for my return. I was a different student by then, however, and was able to combine my desire to learn with my high marks in Language School. Marshall gave me several hours towards graduation for the weeks I spent in language school. I graduated with almost a B average and a 4 year business degree.
You mean I have to buy a suit?
During my years in college another of those defining moments occurred. I went back to school as a marketing major, intending to become part of the marketing department of Ashland Oil. One evening when my father-in-law was talking with the founder and CEO of Ashland Oil he was asked about my major. He said I should change from marketing to accounting, saying “I can make a salesman out of an accountant but can’t make an accountant out of a salesman.” I believed him to be a very wise man so I changed my major to accounting.
Although my intent was to stay with Ashland Oil, my sister, Flo, lived in Pittsburgh, PA. Weird segue, huh? There were several large public accounting firms interviewing graduating seniors and one of them, Price-Waterhouse, was interviewing for the Pittsburgh office. I was invited to interview and they paid for me to come to Pittsburgh. I stayed with my sister, of course. That was the reason I was there. However, I really liked what I heard from Price Waterhouse and when they offered me a job in Pittsburgh I took it and left Ashland Oil immediately after graduation. I was going to be a Certified Public Accountant.
I was the oldest member of the 1969 class of new Price Waterhouse auditors. I was 26 and now had three children. My third, Beth-Ann was born while I was in college. I had more “experience” than any of my peers in the class. I had been in the Navy, traveled the world, started a family and many other experiences that should have knocked some of the country boy out of me. Well, Price Waterhouse was a huge culture shock for me. It was a white shirt, suit and tie environment and on the first day each of us was presented with our own Price-Waterhouse briefcase. I was more frightened than the night I got off the plane alone on Okinawa, knowing no one.
I almost immediately began to travel. I went to another city for staff training. I began to be assigned to clients away from Pittsburgh. I had an expense account! I had read about them but now I had one. I was traveling! Of course I had to work while I was there but didn’t care – I was traveling. Chicago. Tampa. New York. Gary, Indiana (oh, well,) Philadelphia and on and on. For two years I traveled with PW. During that time our fourth child, Julie, was born. Unfortunately, the traveling and long hours were beginning to have a bad effect on our marriage. Also, at the end of the second year it was obvious to me and to Price-Waterhouse that I had no interest in the politics of public accounting. So what was waiting for me?
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Read Part 1 of Ron’s Story
Read Part 2 of Ron’s Story
Read Part 3 of Ron’s Story
Read Part 1 of Gayle’s Story
Read Part 2 of Gayle’s Story
Read Part 2a of Gayle’s Story
Read Part 2b of Gayle’s Story
Read Part 2c of Gayle’s Story
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