Ten Years Ago - This Week

There has been a bunch of email going around at work amongst the rmtc96 folks. That is - the folks at Sun who worked at the Rocky Mountain Technology Center (RMTC) at the time that it was closed by Sun in 1996. This is because it is the 10 year anniversary of the closure of the site. The announcement was made just before Halloween.

These emails have brought back a flood of memories.

• I remember when I first saw Eric Corwin in the halls of one of Sun's buildings in California. He was my bosses boss at the time I came to Sun from Amdahl, and at the time was the site director of RMTC. Julie and I had just talked about maybe moving in order to get into a nicer neighborhood and house, and into a nice place to raise our kids. I mentioned my interest and in a matter of what seemed like days, we were visiting Colorado Springs ...
• I remember that first visit. I thought that I was going to be interviewed for the job, but Eric had lined up a number of folks and asked me to start interviewing them. Guess I had the job. The site was only 17 people at the time. With me and my group, it would be 21.
• I remember the first person that I interviewed. It was Brian Smithey. Actually, I talked to his wife first. I think Brian was not home so Mary and I talked. Found out that this is the best way to hire someone ... get in good with their spouse:)
• I remember beer busts. This was a Sun tradition, and we did a good job of carrying on that tradition at RMTC.
• I remember caber tossing. That is, the dumb guy activity of trying to flip a small telephone pole (we started out small and gradually got bigger). I remember seeing divots in the grass from the second floor of our building.
• I remember time with friends hanging outside playing bocci in the forest, or tossing big rocks, and of course drinking beer.
• I remember some of the nicest, smartest, most creative folks that I have ever worked with. And I remember working on some pretty cool stuff.
• I remember Anthony and his friends playing in the yard. I remember Nick being born - while I was out of town:( And the two of them growing up a lot during the five years that we were there.
• I remember Julie building up great friendships with other moms who stayed home. And I remember how hard the first few weeks were when she was trying to find a way to make connections - that didn't take long, just a trip to the library (inside joke).
• I remember hikes, bike rides, running on trails and lightening! Actually the first real mountain bike that I ever owned.
• I remember Eric having heart trouble and taking some time off. I remember filling his role. I remember way way too much travel. I remember the site closure and how hard that was. And I remember having to leave such a great place.

Things all worked out in the end. I love California more than ever. I ended up with a great job at Sun and have stayed far longer than I would have guessed. Julie made a bunch more friends. The kids are doing great.

Great memories.