Listening

Why ask a question if you're not going to listen to the answer? I have to remind myself to listen and ask questions, which can be difficult. My mind can be all over the place.

W&MC landed at 815 Thursday night. Took them awhile to go through customs, so I didn't get them picked up and back home until 930. Got back home at 1020, walked Winnie, and went to bed. Slept until 720. Nice.

Had my first sauna at the gym on Friday morning. Also lifted some weights and spent time on the treadmill. Back home C fixed oatmeal for breakfast.

A&C closed on their house Friday morning, and are in the process of moving. With all the packing, Goose is a little out of sorts. We went over see it this afternoon. One hundred years old. Very nice.

Both yesterday and this afternoon Ceil and I worked to declutter upstairs. Threw a bunch of stuff away, and loaded up my car with donations for Goodwill. Leftover chili for supper.

AARON JUDGE  [B-R Bio]  failed to get Most Valuable Player votes only three times in his first ten seasons. From 2016 through 2025, Judge received MVP votes following every season except 2016, 2019, & 2020. In college he played for the California State Fresno Bulldogs whose alumni count 12 additional players with at least 10 years in MLB. He got two first-place AL MVP votes in 2017. He got most of the 1st-place votes in 2022 (28 of 30) and in 2025 (17 of 30), then got all the 1^st-place votes in 2024, his unanimous AL MVP. Frank Robinson was the first player to be chosen unanimously for both ROY & MVP (1956, 1966). Judge as unanimous ROY in 2017 & MVP in 2024. Other members include Orlando Cepeda, Albert Pujols, and Mike Trout.

Grand Camp

Busy week taking care of the girls.

Last Friday: slept until almost 8. Dreamed about a snake. Did a tiny bit of organizing in my office. The Chiles treated us to lunch at Longhorn to celebrate. My fourth meal out in three days, and I actually finished first for the first time. The previous three meals I had finished last.

Then I cleaned all afternoon. A coworker called to check on me. W&MC arrived with the girls, then A&C and finally M. Thought Will was going to burn the house down while charbroiling the smash burgers. M had made the flakey crust for Ceil's apple pie. Tired, plus I've had a headache all day.

Saturday: after C and the girls went to bed a little after 9 on Firday night, I went back downstairs and turned off the lights and went to sleep on the sofa. A decent night's sleep. The girls slept until almost 8. W&MC's flight to Grenada departed at 945. I walked Winnie and Okie several times. 

Made it to Pope High early, and scored second row seats for Frozen the Musical. Decent crowd. The girls loved it. Afterward we waited in line so the girls could get their pictures taken with the performers.   

Sunday: having these girls to care for sure is a full time job. Got them to Sunday School on time, barely. Big crowds at JFBC. Had to park far away after dropping C and the girls off. Forty in Sunday School. C didn't want to keep the girls in the extended session, so we didn't make it to the service. Leftovers for lunch. 

I drove up to the Hot Stove meeting in Cumming. Tried to get David Hurt to join me, but he had grandkid duty. Stopped by two thrift stores on the way home. Passed on a $13 pair of yellow Pumas and a $7 pair of slip on Nikes. Bought Matthew a $2 Thrashers cap and a cheap pair of Oofos recovery slip ons for me. C baked a lasagna for supper.

Monday: lunch with the guys at Cava. Filled up with gas. Got home and C and the girls were taking naps, so I rested as well. The girls slept until 530. They needed it. I got a little work done in my office. So many leftovers to eat at the house. After feeding the girls we packed up the cars and drove down to spend the night at W&MC's. C drove the girls. I drove the dogs. Okie rode shotgun.

Didn't know how much of the Indiana vs Miami game that I'd be able to watch, but we had the game on the entire way. A good game. Miami didn't give up, but the Hoosiers were too much. Carson Beck always seems to do the wrong thing. Even if the late interception wasn't his fault, he didn't need to walk off the field without congratulating Mendoza. Beck has played lots of football, and should know better.

Monday night: sleeping at W&MCs. All night long I was hearing train after train, and several loud cars passing by. Winnie was happy to sleep in the bed with us. Okie was just happy to be home. I'd been sleeping on the couch, to keep the dogs from barking. Been trying to get to bed on the early side. My watch says I'm getting a good night's sleep, but I'm not so sure. The girls woke up at 720 on Monday morning, so I did as well.

Tuesday: got the girls off to school without too much fanfare. We both drove back to East Cobb. Man I caught every redlight and construction zone. Stopped by two thrift stores and left my wallet and phone in the restroom. Didn't realize it until I got home. Had to retrace my steps. While I was out I had to run errands for Ceil.

I was able to knock one thing off my list on Tuesday. Drove back to W&MCs during rush hour. Got the girls to bed somewhat early. Watched episode 3 of Best Medicine. 

Wednesday: got the girls off to school. There's a constant water leak in the street in front of W&MC's house, so this morning there was a patch of ice all across the width of the street. I warmed up the cars. 

Around 11 am I drove back downtown to play golf at Candler Park. Timed it pretty good. A single was just teeing off, so I was able to tee off as he was putting out on the par 4 first hole. 12:45 pm, 48 degrees.

1. Two decent drives. Hit a good fairway shot. Several poor pitches, none onto the green. 

2. My first 7 iron off the tee was pretty straight. Decent length. My chips weren't great. Okay lag putts. 

3. Hit a low worm burner off the tee. It rolled and rolled, all the way down the hill. Kept rolling way down to the right fringe. Not pretty but it was the best result on this hole in months. Hit a mulligan and it felt good, but I'm not sure where it went. Hit a lag putt to one inch. Tapped in for a par.

4. Hit my tee shot well, but it didn't have much distance. Chipped four balls, but only two were good. Sank a 10 footer for "par".

5. Hit a good tee shot to the front fringe. Mulligan sailed right. Two of my chips were good. Struck three 10 foot putts, the third one dropped.

6. Didn't see where either drive went, but found my first ball. Hit four 5-iron shots, only one was good. But all three of my chips found the green. 

7. Neither drive was great, but I found both balls. Hit two 4-irons, the first better than the second. Neither approach shot was good, but then I was able to chip onto the green. My second lag putt was good.

8. Hit a great drive, that rolled down the hill. Perhaps my best drive ever on this hole. Made two good chips out of four. Couldn't get a putt to fall.

9. Hit a good mulligan. All four chips failed to reach the green. Putted it around one last time. 

Finished at 2:15 and battled traffic back home. Ate an early supper, then me and Winnie battled traffic again down to W&MC's. Picked up Chipotle for Ceil's supper. 

Spent the last night at W&MC's on Wednesday night. Got the girls off to school, then drove back home to East Cobb. Winnie tracked mud all over white seats in my car. 

Wednesday night I had a dream that I was at a crowded focus group with coworker Jessica. Next to us was a taste test focus group sampling cake. Jessica loves sweets, so she was doing everything possible to get some of the cake. 

Thursday: spent an hour at the gym. Need to make this a daily thing. Then to Kroger - a big crowd getting ready for the ice. They were out of what C wanted, but I found it across the street at Dollar Tree. Loaded my shopping cart. Headed back down to get the girls.

Andruw Jones was finally voted in to the baseball hall of fame this week. I guess you heard.

Sneakers

Yes I have too many sneakers. Trying to get rid of several. There current club.

White:
Nike Air Force One
Adidas Stan Smith
Hoka
Cole Haan
Puma
Puma basketball
Puma high tops
Nike Commuters
New Balance gum souls
Reebok Fury
Puma golf

Cole Haan white brown blue black

Hoka black white blue red

Nike Air Force One
Nike KD 7s
Nike Golf
Nike All Turf
Nike Panda Dunks
Nike black running
Nike Air Max red

Nike waffle trainers
 
Puma golf
Puma RS-X high tops
Puma basketball
Puma light grey

Puma Suedes red
 
adidas grey
adidas Stan Smith
adidas Prophere
adidas golf

Black:
Nike golf
Nike turf
Adidas Prophere
Adidas golf
Oofos
Ecco loafers
Hoka
Cole Haan
Nike Panda Dunks
Puma Emojis
Adidas
Nike Huarache

Hot Stove Notes

Look for a Jimmy Carter bobble
Discuss the new GSU baseball stadium
Told my 680 guest picker story

Former coworker Mandi is the wife of last month's speaker Mitch Harris.

 
A good Angel Hernandez / Will Clark story.
Givens son played ball at TCU
12 in attendance
Larry was a coach at Buford / Dacula

Jerry Cauley knows Kyle Norton

Hugh Tinsley played for the Lanierland baseball team

Holly works at Levi's Stadium

The Jinx episode of the Andy Griffin Show 44 was Deputy number in the fishbowl

Bubba Ball coached Larry and they coached together at Brookwood, against Columbus Frank Thomas, homered almost every time. Walked Thomas with the bases loaded, and Brookwood won.

Johnny called the clubhouse in Philadelphia and got Dale Murphy to leave him free tickets.

Murph's Restaurant had to close.

Niekro when the cart girls would come around would ask Can I call you Amanda? What time?

One guy played golf with Bill Mazeroski who grew up with Neikro

Phil Schaefer was at Ohio State with Jack and Barbara Nicklaus. Jack has a museum near Ohio State.

Next meeting third Sunday Feb 15 at 3 pm.

Abraham

Brian Fox JFBC Sunday School
Why did God choose Abram?

Genesis 12
Deut 10:14-15
Gen 12 15 17 22 the covenant keeps coming up, even again in the New Testament. I will make you into a great nation.

The negative God will curse those who dishonor him.

Also a great blessing

Gal 3:7-8 the fulfillment was the coming of Jesus.

We are part of a great story Acts 1:8 you will be my witnesses, to Judea, Samaria, and to the rest of the world.

What will we do as stewards of this call? We are part of something so much greater than

Heb 11 he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Looks at Books

Books I read in 2024 to enhance my job performance.

The Power of Habit: Why We do What We do in Life and Business...sometimes changing the way you do something that you are struggling with makes you more productive. It can be hard when you've been doing something the same way for years and years (who does this sound like?). Once something becomes a habit, its so much easier to repeat. 

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness...how smart phones and screen time can increase anxiety and depression, and lessen one's ability to communicate face to face. Details how the current epidemic of teen mental health issues has been caused not by racial strife, climate change, and political upheaval but by social media and cell phone addition combined with an overprotective society, unwilling to let kids play and explore on their own (like previous generations like yours and mine). The Center for Disease Control reports that too much social media can actually lead to physical symptoms like stomach pain, etc. Studies show the increase in sexual identity issues has been linked to excess social media use.

Since children and teenagers have started carrying cell phones (around 2010) not only has mental health deteriorated, but grades have dropped. This was going on long before covid. Instead of playing outside with real friends, learning to avoid injury and settle their own differences, kids are staying in their rooms glued to their phones: girls on social media and boys playing game like Fortnight with strangers – instead of learning how to drive. They’re not learning the social skills needed to better interact with the outside world. Teens aren’t breaking bones because they’re not playing outside.

Two changes some schools have already instituted have proven to help: (1) more free play time and (2) having kids’ phones locked away for the entire school day. Teachers would agree: right now kids aren’t making friends or even interacting with each other in class or in the hallways – instead they’re glued to their phones. In schools where these measures have been implemented (1) test scores have risen, (2) incidents of trouble have decreased, and (3) students are happier and report less anxiety. No wonder the kids of tech executives are being sent to phone free schools.

The book was written by a psychologist, a parent of kids experiencing these issues. He admits that religious rituals like corporate worship reduce anxiety, foster needed community, and lead to better physical and mental health. He quotes Jesus’ words “judge not, lest you be judged” - though the opposite is most often the case on social media. Many blame colleges for warping the minds of students, when in fact a majority of students these days are arriving on campus unprepared for many of the real world experiences they are encountering. These students expect the college to protect them from having to hear viewpoints different from their own – and freedom of speech is limited.

Cell phone addition has ramifications in adults as well: anxiety and decreased productivity for starters. I know I need to cut down on my cell phone use. It is where I get most of my news and sports updates, but I sure need to cut down. This is a book everyone should read – especially parents of kids five to 15.

Like dogs, deer, and other animals, people can be in a defensive mode or a discovery mode – especially children. While the defensive mode is sometimes necessary for survival, life is best lived in discovery mode. I was raised in a defensive environment, and so often it unfortunately remains my default mindset. So freeing to watch my kids and grandkids live in discovery mode.

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World. How cutting out less important excess fluff can help focus on more critical areas of need - both at home and at work. By a pastor who finally dialed back and simplified his life. Wrote how Jesus never hurried, even when his friend Lazarus was deathly ill. Wrote on what it means to observe the Sabbath - one of the Ten Commandments. About how just about all Americans are addicted to hurry (and their smart phones).

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know - how to have the mindset of maybe not being sure I have the right answer, being open to other points of view. Helping others to rethink things, not by arguing  but by rethinking. The need for both generalists and specialists.

From Strength to Strength Finding success happiness and deep purpose in the second half of life, by Arthur C Brooks. Analytical skills may peak around 30, then as the years pass and analytical skills fade, wisdom and experience and knowledge can make up for it. Older people have to work harder. In my experience I guess this is true.

Deep Work, rules for focused success in a distracted world by a New York Times best selling author, professor Cal Newport. How to focus and removing distractions, like social media. Recognizing and removing the things that aren’t important by determining what you really want to accomplish both professionally and personally. A great plan, but my customer service duties and new computer system requiring so many steps takes up so much of my time, that little time is left for the deep work I need to be doing.

What I Didn't Say

Here's what didn't make it into my going away speech… 

I am not going to retire. I am just leaving my job at Ryerson. It's just gotten to be too much of a hassle trying to navigate SAP. Instead I will move on and fill my days with other productive money earning opportunities.

Thanks for putting up with me all these years. And now, the speech. My last chance to bore you guys with a speech. Man have I been looking forward to this. Like I said, thanks for putting up with me all these years. I guess they thought I was doing a good job because they kept giving me more work. That seems to be the way things go around here. Not sure how smart I am. Don't know if I made my job harder than it needed to be. I wanted to be thorough. I'd see others in similar positions try to take shortcuts and it would get them in trouble. I'm sure whatever young buck takes my place will have an easier time of it than me. Not sure who will have the last laugh.

At my funeral I don't want people talking about what a good job that I did at work.

I always tried to add that exclamation point to the thanks at the end of my emails, to let you know how much I really appreciated what you did.

I will not miss getting 400 emails every day. Now that I'm retired I plan on weeding out junk emails. Wish me luck. Am I showing my age? I do plan on sending more texts messages. Wish me luck.

I will miss hearing all the office banter. Hearing Alex and Steve and Ben and Buck go at it every day. I am honored that Steve says that he will miss me. Steve is a machine. Steve Garrett: we both used to run the Peachtree Road Race a whole lot faster, but we're still showing up every year, since when Steve, the 1990's?

Buck is like Steve's Ed McMahon, if you're old enough to know who he was. Mike likes to egg Steve on. Thanks for acting interested with the arcane bits of trivia and breaking sports news that you already heard about hours before. So much fun to listen to Ben mess with Steve and Buck.

Gotta love Alex Brennan. You have to. I think it's a rule. Like Shane and Steve and Jonathan and so many others, Alex is a machine. A big machine, but a machine none the less. Me and Alex don't work side by side much, but to this day Alex will remember my color code system – right Alex?

I may not be much help now on SAP. Believe it or not, I was a superstar back on that old computer system. David Beard was scared of how I could magically make things happen. I always considered it a compliment when he would come to get me to figure something out that no one else could.

For just about my entire career, I have coordinated orders for the slitter. When I first started in 1987 the gold building had three slitters. All the material tags had to handwritten. Now I'm starting to sound like Steve Garrett. I though when we got this new high tech slitter, they should name it after me. But with all the problems they've had getting it up and running, I am glad they didn't.

Technically I started working out in the plant. I was hired for inside sales, but right when I started the receiving lady went out for a month for surgery. So my first month was out in the plant, handwriting those old material tags and paper receivers. One old guy called me "college boy". Over the years I did earn his trust, and when he'd spot a problem he'd call me to help solve it.

I worked here a long time, and had some good managers, and some bad managers. The names of the bad managers are… uh, let me skip on to the good managers. Eric and Shane are tops. The hardest working, for sure. Set a great example for all the rest of us. On their first day in Norcross, they came barging in to the program office upstairs. Eric screamed "Line up for your ass-whooping!" I was the only one who stood.

When I first met Eric he was a hotshot young outside salesman in Birmingham. He was one of the few outside guys selling a new product down here in the Southeast: fabrication. Let that be a lesson to you young guys. Eric called on one purchasing manager, pointed out the window, and said "See that lake out there? Give me the order and I'll jump in that lake!". He did, and Eric did. True story.

Reminds me: I am so old that when I was in college, I swallowed a goldfish. That was a thing back in like the 1950's. Ask your grandparents. I am so old that my football helmet had a single bar facemask. True story. I used to wear those stirrup things when I played baseball. Pickleball hadn't been invented yet. Or the internet. We had to look in the newspaper on Monday to manually figure out who won fantasy football. True story.

Until 1999 all office employees had to wear shirts and ties. If you wore a blue shirt they looked at you funny. Women had to wear hose, and no open toed shoes. The mean old human resources lady (I can call her that because she liked me – after I'd proved I wasn't a slacker). She would go around and enforce the dress code. True story. We hired one guy for inside sales who had worked at a bank. He'd sit at his desk all day with his suit coat on. Flipping through that huge pricing book. The people that didn't know him called him "the guy in the suit coat".

I am honored that Textron traveled all this way to say goodbye. They'll do anything to get out of the office. What's not to like about Textron? One of our largest customers. Their forecasts may not always be right (that's a joke). But its our job to read their mind, to figure out what they want before they do. I used to be halfway good at it. But as you should know, men don't make good mind readers. The Textron folk have hard jobs, and I hope I've made it easier for them. Can't believe that I've worked on the Textron account for 18 years. Right now Ryerson has the best team of people working on the Textron account that we've ever had. Tyler, thanks for putting up with me out there on the golf course. Maybe in retirement I can get better.

Eric Jones has been a great. He does things no supervisor should have to do. Eric has given me the most thoughtful, insightful reviews as I ever received here at Ryerson. You guys should really consider joining the Textron team. Well Eric, you can't say that I didn't try. I knew that when Brad asked if he should join the Textron team, that he would make me look like a poor performer in comparison. I just didn't know he'd keep rubbing it in!

Jonathan is a beast 

I helped train Angie and Rachel. Haven't they developed into good, productive employees? Well, Rachel anyway. On their first day I shared one of my secrets: I make it up as I go along. Ask me a question on Monday and I may have one answer. Might have a different answer on Friday. How my mind works. Of course Angie and Rachel always remembered the things that I should NOT have said. Rachel won't know what to do without me around. She won't have to act happy when I give her all the junk that I don't want any more. I'm sure her garbageman will appreciate the lighter loads each week. I think she's been selling the stuff so she can buy new big ticket items, and live her best life - and fund her Starbucks and Jimmy Johns habits.

I've tried to remain true to my own unique personality, as opposed to trying to be something I'm not. GT head coach Brent Key is like me: when asked a question he doesn't have a ready made answer. He listens to the question and then thinks before answering. Doesn't make for good TV, but I think he's sincere. Quite different from Saban, Kirby, and Dabo.

Perhaps the best contribution I ever made here was to put Patsy into the tube mill scheduler position, over 25 years ago. She may hate me for it. Patsy and Sherryl don't get enough credit for the tube mill's success. They resolve so many issues that others have no idea need to be resolved. Every little change, or push in, or down time has a domino effect, that means ten other changes have to be made. But those ladies are pro's at what they do.

More well wishes…

It's hard to say goodbye to you Mr. Murphy! I've truly enjoyed working with you and all our conversations !Wishing you all the best on your retirement! Welcome to king Burger where you can have it your way but don't get too crazy 浪 Stay in touch  - Jamie Mitchell, Fanello.    

Good for you, take care and enjoy your next chapter! - LaDonna Newell, Tulsa David, NOOOOOOO…When I come to Atlanta who's going to give me the tour of Olympic Park?  Love you! – Kellie Moran, Dallas David! Congratulations and well done Sir!  I wish you nothing but the best and hope you have a long, satisfying healthy retirement Sir! It was an honor and a pleasure to work with you during my brief time in Atlanta.  Thank you for your professionalism and dedication to our craft – Tom Monhollen, Operations Manager, Shelbyville Kentucky. Oh gosh David. Great news for you my friend!! best of luck – Kaye Hight, Houston.

Dinner Speech

Such a nice dinner Thursday night at Pampas Steakhouse on Old Milton Parkway. L-R: Brad, Alex, Shane, Todd, Jonathan, Angie, Eric Jones, Eric McGill, me, and Ceil. With a big old piece of cake.  

Didn’t want to take people away from their work for too long, so I saved some of my speech the dinner. Didn't deliver it as a speech, but managed to work a good deal of it in during the dinner.

The speed that Shane gets work done amazes me. My brain never worked so fast. When I started it took days and weeks for managers to quote and make decisions. It takes Shane minutes, and he’s better informed than we used to be back in the old days. Kills me the gems and zingers that Shane comes up with at the drop of the hat. If I don’t read off my jokes word for word, I’ll screw them up.

When Brad called me to ask if he should join the Textron team, I lied and told him yes. I told Brad that he’d make me look bad in comparison, and he has. But I don’t care. Took a huge weight off my shoulders. I’m dumping it all off onto Brad and Leo. Don’t worry, Brad – ten more years then you can retire.

The amazing thing is that Angie actually does a great job. I didn’t want to say this in front of everyone in the office, or course. Who was it that trained her? She sends work emails while she’s on vacation. She comes in at 630 in the morning and stays 30 minutes after she clocks out. That’s more hours than Steve Garrett. Angie do you see what you’re doing to yourself? Some of the wisdom I’ve taught Angie she now passes on to her daughters.

Steve Garrett: we both used to run the Peachtree Road Race a whole lot faster, but we’re still showing up every year, since when Steve, the 1990’s?

Me and Alex don’t work side by side much, but to this day Alex will remember my color code system – right Alex?

Buck is like Steve’s Ed McMahon, if you’re old enough to know who he was. Mike likes to egg Steve on. Thanks for acting interested with the arcane bits of trivia and breaking sports news that you already heard about hours before. So much fun to listen to Ben mess with Steve and Buck.

Gotta love Alex Brennan. You have to. I think it’s a rule. Like Shane and Steve and Jonathan and so many others, Alex is a machine. A big machine, but a machine none the less.

Ben says that instead of a honeymoon, he and his bride are going on Ben’s regular family vacation with Mack to Cape Sand Blast. Down there Ben has always slept in a bunk bed. I told Ben to tell his wife that he wants to be on top.

My Career

Since there are few people who’ve been around longer than me, as a public service here’s a list of some of the things I’ve worked on during my 38 years at Ryerson:

Sepco: inside sales at Jim Suggs company, working with fluid sealing gaskets and die cut rings. 1984-1987.

Inside sales at RMP. After I was hired, I was sent out in the plant to train. The receiving clerk had surgery so I filled in for a month out there. Back then all tags were hand written. Every day I went home crying. Then the next month I got to – uh, guess I better shorten this up. But a year or two later Todd Harris was hired, so I helped train him. The rest is history. 1987-1992.

AS400 development: helped design the quote order entry system. Now you know who to blame. Sat in a meeting room on the mezzanine for months. Brain-numbing work. Ever wonder why F2 is on every screen? I can tell you. Steve Apostel didn’t want to go so he sent me. I also worked on the auto-cert program. 1993.

AS400 trainer: helped convert ten districts to the AS400: Greensboro, Norcross, Little Rock, Lawrenceville, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Tulsa, Dallas, Houston, and Orlando. Now you know why you’ve never heard of three of those districts went away. It was in Charlotte where I first met Kevin Richardson. It was my idea to draft Rick Ross and Danny Roberts as trainers, in Chattanooga and Charlotte respectively. Rode roller coasters at Six Flags over Texas with Bobby Rogers and Rick Ross. Favorite quote from someone I was training, after they’d made a mistake: “I thought this system was idiot-proof”. 1994.

Quality manager: worked with Rob Grogan to make RMP the first Tull branch to be ISO certified. Also traveled the southeast conducting audits. Any popularity I once had went down the drain. 1995.

Bar Code Receiving: in the 90’s I helped develop the first bar code receiving program in the Southeast. Designed the metal boxes to hold the computer terminals. Despite rumors to the contrary, I did not invent dirt - or the internet. 1996.

Scheduling Manager: supervised the team responsible for scheduling all the machines at RMP: tube mills, slitter, cut to length lines. Hired Joy Saxon and Patsy Miller. It was during this time John Nicol, Rob Grogan, David Eitel, Ginger Hales, and I were in a fantasy football league – before there was a thing called the internet. My quarterback was ARCHIE Manning. 1997-1998.

Washington Specialty Stainless. I worked in Lawrenceville helping train and convert Washington to the Ryerson AS400. A long commute. 1999.

Charleston Processing: I almost moved to South Carolina to help run Charleston. Not so fast. I did help hire the first batch of employees, including Sam Smalls. Norcross was eternally grateful we transferred Michael Berndt down there. 1999.

Work Order Guru: in 2000 I helped develop the work order system. Worked so well that accounting ditched the old buyout system. Traveled the southeast again, this time training on work orders. It’s taken 17 years and we’re still not finished. My popularity soared. Where I first crossed paths with a young outside salesman named Eric McGill. 2000-2007.

EZGO: when two people quit at the same time I was given a “battlefield lateral move” to the EZGo team. I’ve often said handling EZGo is like holding a tiger by the tail. Our team moved from North Berkeley Lake to our current location, then upstairs with the Program team, then back downstairs. Took me a while, but I always found them. Have out-lived at least 37 other EZGo team members. And you thought Rob Grogan was an old-geezer. 2008-2026.

Cast of Textron team characters through the years: 1 Apostel 2 Michalski 3 Morgan 4 Phillips 5 Wanda 6 Nicolson 7 Shawn 8 old VMI guy Roy 9 Monique 10 Fogle 11 Kanevskey 12 Rohan 13 Dana 14 Evangelista 15 Curtis 16 Sachin 17 Nick (quality) 18 Patricia 19 Bain 20 Yung 21 Brad 22 Rodney 23 Jonathan 24 Howland 25 Nikkar 26 Rachel 27 Angie 28 Shane 29 Eric 30 Kevin 31 Keatley 32 Crawley 33 Sue Utton 34 Murch 35 Leo 36 Antonio 37 Brent.

Everyone likes to be recognized. I try to not draw attention to myself. I'm not always successful at that, and it might not be the best career strategy. I'm not sure I set out to work 30 years for the same company. It just sorta happened. I admit there have been a time or three.

A majority of the coworkers I've worked with over the years have long retired or moved on. Some from other locations that are still here I will be seeking out to say farewell to: Danny Roberts, Lorri Jorgenson, Melanie Williams, Rob Hickman, Marsha Duncan, Jonathan Speicher, Kellie Moran, Sean Ambrose, Ginny Roux, Jeanette Henderson, Michael Berndt, Mike Linebarger, Alan Singleton, ,Jamie Mitchell, Patty Moseley, Tracy Outen, Kaye Hight, Jim Tackett, LaDonna Newell, Jeff Mulkey, Darren Eason, Tim Mulhollen, ,Daniel Sidebottom, Dustin Firth, Mike Blasius, Erin Coleman, Patrick Hall, Jeremy Hartmann, Don Fleschutt, Todd Coulter, Rico Daniel, Jason Blair, Mandy, Keavin, Tyler, Mowbrey, Danny, Antwon, and Scot.

Farewell Speech

I was going to let AI write this speech, but I’m still filling in Excel spreadsheets with a pencil.  On my screen. Angie said she was going to have AI write her speech for today. When you care enough to send the very best.

I hope y’all don’t think I am this wise old guy. I’m still just as confused as all of you. When I started out training Angie and Rachel, the first thing I said was that I make it up as I go along. Still do. Thank you for letting me be the creepy old guy, coming at you with hot takes that everyone else already talked about for two days ago.

I appreciate all you coworkers who have helped me along the way. Hopefully at some point I’ve been able to return the favor. Have you ever had an old person in your life that will just cry all the time? It’s a medical fact. So if you see me starting to cry today, it’s just because I’m so old. Not sure what Angie’s excuse is.

I want to start by thanking the guys in the plant, who pulled and cut and shipped all the orders for me. Sure made my life easier. Thanks for showing up today. Hope I didn’t drive y’all too crazy. I tried to keep Jhannio off as many emails as I could.

Hard to believe I have known Eric McGill for 25 years. Back when he was the only outside sales guy in the South who was selling fabrication, jumping into lakes when he got a big order. That’s what Eric said, anyway.  That was back in the days before cell phones. There was a grainy black and white photo. You couldn’t tell if it was Eric or the Loch Ness Monster.

I’m honored that Shane has given me several nicknames over the years. Sergeant at Arms. Domex Dave. Double D. He’s even called me the Assassin. How cool is that? Pretty sure I got that nickname because I would get so quiet. He thought I was gonna kill someone. Really I am so quiet because it takes me so long to figure out what to say.

Several years ago Eric and Shane took over a weak Textron team and gave it a major overhaul. Best thing to happen to me at Ryerson. Surrounded me with upgrades: first Rodney and then Eric Jones. An outside sales juggernaut in Jonathan Harris, a more efficient quality guy in Alex Murch.

Eric Jones has been so much help. Lots of old employees eventually report to someone the same age as their own kids. Eric hasn’t laughed too much about my bumbling old age – to my face, anyway. It’s been Eric’s job to keep me and Brad from going postal. Eric has a batting average of 500.  Not bad.

I’ve always been a bit of a plodder, the office tortoise surrounded by a bunch of hares. I have to look at all my Textron information over and over. Each time I seem to discover something that I’d missed before. A Textron part that needs attention. That’s been the secret to my success. Quickly skimming over all the information never seemed to get the job done. I encourage Leo to keep checking back, like a video game when you know there’s hidden treasure somewhere to find – or a ticking time bomb.

Why am I leaving? It’s simple. I can’t take Angie anymore. Angie is the type woman that helps you appreciate your wife. I have no idea how I’ll be able to do anything without Angie there to keep me straight. I am going to keep on saying nice things about Angie until I make her cry. Again.

Years ago I told Rachel that one day she would run the company, and she is well on her way. She knows all the ins and outs of Textron, plus Renee’s job and Steve’s 01 stuff. Hob nobs with the assistant GM. The only thing holding her back? She’s just too nice. Doesn’t she make you sick?

I’d like to thank Christina from our vendor Collier Metals, who came out to say goodbye. If you wondered what it was that I did here, can ask Christina. Pester her.

For better or worse, Ryerson is like one big extended family. You may get along great with most of your coworkers but then there’s that creepy uncle that just drives you crazy. I know, that’s me. Some people are as quiet as a mouse and others won’t stop talking.

Steve Garrett: such a hard worker and good guy. Old school like me. I’m not much for chain saws. I’m not a do it your selfer, but I can listen to Steve hold court all day. No one on the planet has used the word  warehouse-wise more than Steve. When you look up that word in the dictionary, Steve’s picture is next to it.

I’m glad Steve tells y’all those stories about back when we had those big pricing books on our desks. Aren’t you glad I didn’t tell those same stories? The reason we have to wear hardhats out in the plant is because one time, one of those great big old pricing books fell on someone, and sent them to the hospital.

Sherryl Seigel has taken tube mill sales position up another level. I had nothing to do with this, though for the past couple of years I think we’ve been each other’s psychiatrist.  Like many of you, the diligence Sherryl brings to her job is incorporated in every area of her life, which is an example to me.

Renee:  thank you for all your help. All my time card and expense report mistakes. Thanks for the Bar B Que and cookies and everything else. It’ll be easy for me to lose some weight once I leave here. Renee thought the office would be using less printer paper after I retired, but Arrowood moved downstairs to take up my slack. Every time I retrieve something off the printer, I see three things that Dennis has printed out.

I could go on and on about you guys. But y’all need to get back to work. Thanks again for putting up with me.

Note: lots going on for the next few days. Lots of change. I have about a week's worth of pre-written, unpublished blog posts in the can, that will be posted for the next few days. 

Braving The Wilderness

Just read Brene Brown’s Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone. Exactly what I needed to read this week. This Month. Spot on.

As I move on to the next chapter in my life, I am getting lots of pats on the back. So many encouraging words. I’m trying to be in the moment and let it all soak in. So rare to have a time life this. Along with the accolades come the questions: what are you doing to do? Not an easy question to answer.

I gave my boss an entire year’s notice that I was leaving. To give my company plenty of time for my company to replace me (they’re notoriously bad about this). But I knew I would need that much time to get my things in order – and it’s taken all twelve months. I knew it would.

So what is next? I need to get my life in order. So much that I haven’t been able to do a good job due to work. Get back to the basics. I can already tell that so many people are going to try to pull me in every which direction. I can’t have that. Everyone is different. It may take me longer to knock things out. I have a ton of things that I’ve been putting off. I don’t need to sign up for this class and that, not right now any way. I’m making a to do list, of big things and small. Will try to get something productive done every day.

First of all, I need to focus on my relationship with Jesus. And Ceil. My family. My close friends. While I may have earned passing grades in all these categories, I have much room for improvement. This takes time. There are people that I need to be there for.

I need to get my own house in order, both literally and figuratively. Get in shape, physically, spiritually – in so many ways. This will not happen overnight. It will take years. I am in for the long haul. While I may not be signing up for every class offered here, there, and everywhere, I will need to branch out and have the extracurricular adventure / activity. I won’t have any trouble finding things to do.

I already have an idea of what my day will be like. I’d like to be able to get more sleep, so I won’t be waking up as early as I had to when I was working way over in Norcross. Then I have more than a full day’s worth of stuff to do. But it looks like life will be providing plenty of interruptions.

Just finished season two of A Man on the Inside. So good. Near the end Charles placed a rock on the college campus with the words YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD FOR A NEW ADVENTURE. Words to live by, for sure.

I stayed at work past 6 pm Monday night, trying to clean things up. So much to do. Hard to remember if I don’t have a piece of paper in front of me. C had a moms meeting from 630-8. Watched Jeopardy and Monday Night Football.

Up early Tuesday to hit the gym for the second straight day. Ceil had gone to the gym around 830 am yesterday and had said it was crowded. That’s about when I had planned to start going. I kinda like it when there aren’t as many people there! Had computer issues this morning. Ugh. What some may call a first world problem.

Old Days

Here's an old photo when TMP won district of the year. 1990. Recognize anyone? Todd Harris over on the left next to me. Neil Hollingsworth behind Todd.

Stacy Nobles behind Neil. Stacy was a rookie salesman. When Frances Moon was out for 3 months recovering from surgery, Stacy stepped in and did her job, no problem.

Plant manager Joe Day next to me, with Curtis Fraser behind Joe. Benny Holdbrooks behind Curtis. Scheduler Robert McLean behind Benny. To Benny's left in dark glasses was George Cook, Frances Moon's brother. George was the one who called me "college boy" on my first day. Over time I won his respect, and whenever George saw a problem he called me to fix it.

Vann Bogar to the left of Victor Gillespie. Vic is holding up the X cap. Behind Victor is Norman Shook, who packed skids off the Proc Eco CTL line. To Curtis' left is Glenn Crowe, who got Todd Harris his job at Tull. To Vann's left is leadman Grady Christopher.

Jack Power in front of Joe Day. Rickey Roper to Jack's left. Admin Vickie in the front middle, with Frances behind her. Randall Akins is behind Frances, with Charles Samples to Randall's left. In front of Charles is current maintenance supervisor Danny Greeson, with his face blocked by a hardhat. Slitter operator Robert Swift in front at the far right, with Supervisor Ronald Pruitt next to him. I see CTL operator Greg Dobson in back with the receding hairline. Looking down at George was old Eddie Garmon, who ran the edge conditioner. To his left is tube mill operator Billy Hooper, who pitched for the softball team. Top middle is a young Samnang Chea, who ran the slitter on second shift for years. Richard White is in front, to Vickie's right. Behind Richard is CTL operator David Sweatman, with the moustache. Sweat liked his cigars. Joe Lively next to Sweat.

Steve Apostel in the middle. Sherry Johnston to Steve's right, and TMP VP John Martin to Steve's left. In front of Steve is admin Marla Durrance. Hard to recognize some people without their hardhat on. Where is leadman Lanney Walls? Where is Charlie Page? Bobby Wells?

Only three employees in this photo still working – me, Todd, and Danny Greeson, who has this picture on his desk in the maintenance department. Danny wrote: "Congratulations on your retirement! It's been nice knowing and working with you all these years especially when we were at TULL Metals - TMP back in the day. Not for sure if you ever received this picture that's attached from when it was TULL. You should a lot of these folks..  I believe this was taken in BAY7 TMP.  You even looked young back them.

Yesterday I sent out a farewell email to about three dozen coworkers from around the country that I've worked with over the years, and have been receiving nice responses back.

Congratulations!   I'm so happy you are getting out  Thank you for all the help over the years!  It's truly been a pleasure to work with you – Melanie Williams, Jacksonville

Say it ain't so!   It's been a long time but I always remember how much help and support you gave me back in the early days of the AS400!  You have always been more than willing to lend a hand and no one has earned it more!  All the best in retirement!  Thanks, Alan Singleton, Dallas GM.

Congratulations and well-deserved, David!  Right back at you in terms of enjoyed working with you.  I always appreciated your calm demeanor (critically needed by a knucklehead like me who is the opposite personality and bouncing off the walls all the time).  Best wishes to you and your family for a very long, happy and healthy retirement!! – Don Fleschut, Chicago.

Good for you, take care and enjoy your next chapter! - LaDonna Newell, Tulsa

David, NOOOOOOO…When I come to Atlanta who's going to give me the tour of Olympic Park?  Love you! – Kellie Moran, Dallas

David! Congratulations and well done Sir!  I wish you nothing but the best and hope you have a long, satisfying healthy retirement Sir! It was an honor and a pleasure to work with you during my brief time in Atlanta.  Thank you for your professionalism and dedication to our craft – Tom Monhollen, Kentucky.

Oh gosh David. Great news for you my friend!! best of luck – Kaye Hight, Houston.

Congratulations David!!  It was incredible getting to meet with you in Atlanta and spend time working together! Enjoy retirement! – Jeremy Hartmann, Minneapolis

Thanks for including me on your farewell message.  It's been a pleasure serving with you.  We didn't talk often, but when we did I always took comfort in knowing the issue would be handled expeditiously and correctly.  Sadly, I feel your dedication and loyalty are traits that are hard to find in our newer employees.  Enjoy retirement, you earned it!  - Mike Blasius, Charlotte GM.

Heck of a run David, congrats! Enjoy, you've certainly earned it. – Darren Eason, Louisiana GM

Was a pleasure Murph, enjoy retirement!! – Justin Ryan, Memphis

Oh wow! Congrats! I hope you enjoy your retirement! It has been great working with you! – Marsha Stockunas, Charlotte.

Wow!   The David Murphy era is coming to a close?????   Say it isn't so!!!!!    I'm happy for you my friend, and wish you much happiness during this next phase of your life.   Congrats sir, and I hope to be able to join you in the not-too-distant future! – Tracy Outen, Assistant GM, Carolinas.

You couldn't wait one more week?  I'll be there on Monday.  That's okay, you've waiting long enough for this. Congratulations!!  It was great working with you.  I wish you the very best and keep that sock collection going – Erin Coleman, BPO Team.

Congratulations on retirement! It was an absolute pleasure working with you the last few years. I wish you nothing but the best in this next chapter of your life. – Patrick Hall, Chicago

It has been an honor working with you. I wish you much success and happiness in your future endeavors. If you ever find yourself in this little town, give me a call. Maybe Jamie and I could take you to lunch! – Patty Moseby, Lavonia

Wow !! What career you have had. You will definitely be missed. Thanks, for all your help.  I hope you enjoy your retirement to the fullest – Jeanette Henderson, Charlotte.

Happy Tuesday David! Oh My!! All the greats are leaving! I'm so excited for you and I know you will thoroughly enjoy this next chapter in your life. It's been an honor to work with you through the years. Buddy, you're going to be missed. I have your cell number saved. I'll check on you from time to time. Until the next time, you take care!!  - Michael Lineberger, Charleston.

It has been a pleasure working with you all these years!  Enjoy your next adventure in retirement. – Ginny Roux, Charlotte.

You were an instrumental person in my early development as an employee. I am happy for you, but I will miss seeing you when I come to the office. I'll remember our days running together and all of your stories. I still remember you telling me all jobs have stress, even the guy driving a truck full of peaches. You are an outstanding person as well as employee. Enjoy retirement my friend – Todd Harris, Norcross.

Congratulations Mr. David Murphy!!! It has been an absolute pleasure to work with you over the years. We wish you many more Blessings in the next chapter of your life. David thank you Sir! – Rico Daniel, Fanello GM.

David, You will be missed. You have always been a joy and pleasure. Take care brother and make the most of retirement. My eyes are green………..with envy. Later dude - Jason Hearn, Mobile

It was always a pleasure working with you, I'm sorry I haven't had the opportunity to do so in the last few years. Congratulations David, I hope you get to enjoy many fun years in retirement - Daniel Sidebottom, Charlotte

Denison on Greenland.