July 19th, 2009

Today I stopped by to visit my dad while I was in Boston.  We got onto the topic of my brother-in-law Billy's store Endicott Variety which is located in Dedham, MA.  It so happens that the Bank that Billy uses, Dedham Savings Bank use to be Norfolk Savings and Trust the very location that my dad worked at back in the early 60's.  

The story he told was one of his advancing from assistant manager to manager but the theme to this particular story was the delight my dad took in the work.  I will do my best  to recount it to you perhaps I can get him to read it and he could help me with anything I missed.  

Back in those days the bank was using an accounting system, IBM 403 (I believe).  My dad was given the opportunity to upgrade the entire system to the 407.  The program(software) had to work on the incoming system(hardware).  It is my understanding that my dad worked on the program and was able to go into the Boston IBM office to test out the program before the system arrived (My dad said he is pretty sure you can't do that anymore).  the conversion took about a 1/4 (3 months) to complete.

One of the VPs kept a close eye on overtime paid each quarter.  My dad's department had $2600 of overtime during the quarter that he did the conversion.   He called my dad looking for an explanation.  "Well," my dad said, "$2400 of that was paid to me."  

"What for?" the boss asked.  

"Converting the accounting system from the 403 to the 407." 

 "Oh yes, how could I forget - a terrific job and someone else in the office said no one could have done a better job."

As a result my dad was promoted to manager with a pay raise.  

There was more to the story and perhaps I left out my dad's favorite part but the most important thing I got out of the story was that my dad loved what he was doing and the fact that I have been working in Dedham and frequenting Dedham Savings Bank which was one of my dad's old haunts, prompted a flood of memories for him.  I am grateful to have been there to listen and my dad enjoyed telling me the story.  

A link to the history of IBM Accounting Machine

http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/402.html