[Vision2020] 400 Verizon Employees vs. Area Growth

[Janesta Carcich]

*laughing and waving my hand proudly*

I was a GTE operator at the Howard Street Building. It
is still there, with its HUGE EMPTY parking lot. I
can't remember how many telephone and directory
information operators worked there; it was a 24-hour a
day job. The switching operation was always in there.
it was all very 007 up there. no windows, except the
sliding glass door that looked out over this gorgeous
garden on the corner of 6th and Howard. An elderly man
worked tirelessly all summer, then would share the
fruits of his labor with all of us.

Pat Kraut might remember how many employess, mostly
ladies worked there. I am dating myself... but when I
started there, we still needed to "plug" the lights,
when a call came in, we would race for the lights. Pat
was always one of the fastest to plug a light. I am
still jealous, Pat! There were rows of us, chatting
back and forth. Irene Johnson was the manager; she sat
in a glass room, and scared the daylights out of me
because she was always so quiet. I see her now at the
grocery store and we have the nicest chats. But, back
then, whoa!  We had floor supervisors. They would tell
us when we were yakking too much between ourselves, or
if there were some emergency in the world, where calls
would not go through to. Those places, she would write
on a large easel in the middle of the room... We would
then advise our customers. Sometimes, funny things
happened. 

One day, the floor supervisor put a message up stating
no calls could be made to either Ireland.

Me:     Operator, may I help you?
Man:   I need to phone Ireland.
Me:     I am sorry Sir; no calls are going through to
Ireland at this time. 
Man:   Ireland? You don't understand. I NEED to call
Ireland.
Me:     Sir, if you try back later, you may have
better luck, there is civil unrest, almost to a war
level going on now in Ireland, and no calls are going
through. I am sorry.
Man, now ANGRY: I NEED TO CALL IRELAND, and I NEED TO
CALL NOW!!!

This went back and forth for five minutes or so. Me, a
bit concerned he had a family member at risk, as he
was SO upset!  Seriously! He getting madder by the
minute. 

Finally, totally exasperated, he says to me: Lady, all
I want to do is phone Ireland's at the Y in Potlatch!

I chuckled and laughed for a week! The poor guy! 

Sometimes, things happen to bring back fun memories,
thanks for the memory, Carl.

Janesta


		
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