August 17th, 1997 and the final day of the PGA tournament.

Well, it's been a long an interesting seven years working in the Photochem. It started with Dave McConnell doing the team thing. Dave left and was replaced by Lou Dossie, and with Chuck and Rick, it was a time of true involvement for all of us.

Disaster struck, as I suppose for some strange reason it must, and the regime changed, forever. Charles, the champion, brought in his people and the old guard was removed, except me. I was

left in place to do the details, under an assumed job description. Eventually my assignment was expanded to include duties reserved for lower levels. I maintained the same pay, but the work, basically, doubled. Someone had to continue doing what had to be done, in addition to new tasks.

I did.

Now, after seven years of putting the "team thing" in place, putting into place a world where operators have a say in what they do, how they do it, when, all that, yet another replacement

comes to tell us "we must improve faster or we will be out of business. We must, we will change".

All good stuff, operational improvements, leading to the realization that the next steps, the next whole thing, is upon us now.

I’d just like to say that I will NO longer assume sole responsibility for the fixing of Photochemicals because for the past seven years I have been trying to do exactly that. Believing people are good and do, indeed, wish to be accountable for themselves, my efforts were successful by placing just such a structure into being that rewarded accomplishments, and denied “business as usual”. These directions were aligned to the purposes of building personal capabilities with a strong reliance upon teams.

I wished I could say this worked, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that the true successes have been limited. Most who needed to become more flexible refused, "not without matching pay, says they"; while in fact the pay went down anyways. The others were in two groups,

the larger (we'll do what ever you say, kind of, so long as you don't beat us) bunch simply went along for the ride and without specific instructions, wandered aimlessly. The second bunch, we'll call them a band, composed mostly of young ones, want everything and they want it NOW.

There were, glad to say, several pockets of understanding where special people were able to go beyond their individual and personal needs and learned from others, how to be teachers, and how to teach. They taught others how to do what they knew how to do, and so doing, built a stronger force.

I was pleased to be there. Photochemicals, the Cube Cell, got as close to the sprit of its' self as I think you can get, and I was there, and all I can say, again, is "thanks, thanks, perhaps we together made the place a little better than it was before we started.

As for me, well, just today I've started my transition to the world of Quality Sponsor (notice the cap's) and I'm gonna be OK 'cause you know why, I gave them the freedom to do it their way, and they did it pretty good.

Once felt, freedom is a hard thing to give up. Can't do no better than that.

Oh, yea, almost forgot, Davis Love (the third) won the 79th PGA Tournament, his first major championship after 12 wins on the tour, and 312 tournaments.

Excellent, most excellent.

August 17th, 1997