Attend another Retirement Lunch

It is always fun, now that I have retired, to be there when someone new retires. I want to send them this Blog as a means to ease them into their new life. The discussion is always "I am so busy how did I ever have time to go to work."

Dr. Greg Taylor started at ENSCO back in 1984. Al Siegel knew him from college and brought him to Indian Harbour Beach, the small town where our Division office was located. It is hard to turn down a job when the office is on A1A and across the street from the ocean...

Al Siegel, Greg Taylor, and Joe Vervier

The luncheon was being held at River Rocks in Rockledge, and I was one of the first to arrive with Greg arriving behind me. We walked in together to the "middle room," a place set up for the 20 people that were expected. There were going to be people from ENSCO's current and past.

Dr. Norm Bush talks with Nancy Provoncha

Norm was our Division Manager back when Greg was hired, and he went on to become President of the company. He is retired and lives in Suntree. Nancy still works at ENSCO and just celebrated 38 years. She started two months before me back in 1980, and we have been happily divorced for 30 years.
(Photo note: when framing a photo of two people, try to make sure two strangers are not in the back.)

One table of attendees included John Pitkethly (retired), Stephan Maminakis (at ENSCO), Dr. Date Chynwat (hidden by Stephan and at ENSCO), Dustin Phelps (at ENSCO), Dr. Steve Masters (hidden and at ENSCO), Dr. Gavin McDaniel (at ENSCO), Angela Plitz (at ENSCO), Winnie Crawford (at ENSCO) and Randy Evans (left ENSCO but still working).

 (Photo note 2: do not take a picture when outside window is behind the group.)

The second table included Joe Vervier (at ENSCO), Mike VanEss (at ENSCO), Gaylen Drape (at ENSCO), Jeff Etrick (at ENSCO), Dr. Frank Merceret (retired from NASA), my spot, Nancy (at ENSCO), Norm (retired), Al Siegel (retired) and Greg (soon-to-be-retired.)

Some math: 12 still working at ENSCO, 1 still working, 1 in starting retirement and 5 that are retired.
Some lunch: I had the Bahamian Salad with Jerked Chicken (because I am both a jerk and a chicken.) Nancy had a small Caesar salad with the lobster sliders.

Then it was time to start the speeches for Greg. The first speaker was Gavin. He was a Captain in the Air Force where he earned his Ph.D. and left to come to ENSCO when I was still working. Greg worked for ENSCO and had moved up to Division Manager (I think VP) and left to join the Air Force as a civilian scientist and manager, working at the Air Force. Gavin mentioned that the Air Force luncheon was one of the best he ever been to as far as all the great things that were said about Greg. You know a person is special when a luncheon like this one is organized. He had not worked at ENSCO for many years but the people felt the need to honor him at this time in his life.

I only included this next picture because Mike VanEss looks very concentrated at the left of the photo.

Next up was Joe Vervier...

Then the floor was opened to anyone that wanted to speak. Al Siegel discussed bringing Greg to Florida and the times they shared being Division Managers...

Dr. Frank Merceret was the next to talk. He is retired from NASA where from 1991 to 2013, he was the director of the AMU (Applied Meteorological Unit). ENSCO won the first contract to run the AMU with Greg heading up that contract. ENSCO re-competed five times through the years and won the contract every time. I got to talk to Frank some during the lunch, and he only had great things to say about Greg and all the ENSCO personnel including Winnie and Randy, both at the luncheon. During his talk, he said he had asked Greg, who was now working for the Air Force, for some help on a report. He said Greg was an important asset to the task.

 Next to speak was John Pitkethly, retired from ENSCO. John hired me back in 1980 and was my Division Manager after Norm moved to Virginia to be President. When John retired, he made Al and Greg the Division Managers of two new divisions. John presented Greg with an item all retires need, a golf ball retriever. (Photo note 3: take a photo of the gift.)

Then I went but I will save that for last. After I went, Randy Evans got up to talk. He told the story of a time when he was replacing Greg on a plane trip to a conference. Back in the day, you could just use the ticket even though it had the wrong name. It was also a time when they served meals on cross-country flights. Randy said they were handing out meat or chicken, and when they got to him they said they had the special meal he had requested, it was a bland fish dish. Randy said that he knows Greg will have a long retirement if he keeps eating like that.

Of course, the last to speak was Greg himself. I think he was still a little red from my presentation...

I told Greg that I planned to write a poem like Linda Owiesney used to do when someone left ENSCO, but the words did not come. Not because of emotions, but when you are retired you cannot remember words... I said that ironically, I had never worked on a project with him at ENSCO. But when he moved to the Air Force we got to work together but I had no CLUES what it was...  (Most people got the joke but for those who did not, CLUES was the name of the System I was developing with Dr. Vanderzanden and others, it stood for Concentration Level Uncertainty Ensemble System.)

Then I said the last stanza of my unwritten poem:

So as you retire and look to get a rest,
The years ahead, they will be your best.
There are no ifs, thens, or buts,
Remember, Dr. Greg Taylor, you were an M&M with nuts.

And then I handed Greg this photo, 8x10 and framed...

He said I really did not need to do that...but I am retired, I have nothing better to do.