Data Processing - 1977 - 1994

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Data Processing - 1977 - 1994

After Gene ran out of money for the payroll, I was hired as a messenger in the Data Processing Department at the State Capitol Building. From there I worked my way up, from 1977 through 1994. My adventure in Data Processing was mostly working on mainframe computers before the PC era. For me it unfolded like this: I went from

1. a Messenger at the Nebraska State Data Processing Department (1977).

2. to a Tape Librarian, 

   1. at the Nebraska State Data Processing Department (1979), then 

   2. at Casco Bank & Trust in Portland (1979)       

3. to a Sorter Operator,  

   1. at Casco Bank & Trust Company in Portland, Maine (early 1979; 

   2. then at First National Bank 

4. to a Computer Operator, 

   1. operating a Burroughs B6800 Mainframe at  First National Bank, in Lincoln Nebraska (1979)   

   2. at Lincoln Telephone & Telegraph (1980 - 1985)

5.  While at LT&T I taught myself, when off-duty as a computer operator: 

   1.  JCL, 

   2. IBM System 360/370 Assembler Language Programming, 

   3. IBM COBOL-74 & -84, (code example), 

   4. FORTRAN, 

   5.  and several other computer languages and command languages such as:

      1. BASIC

      2. Dylakor 280

      3. TSO command CLISTS

      4. SPF / ISPF command CLISTS

6. to Computer Programmer I, II, and III . . . 

7. to Programmer Analyst, at which point the entire industry, it seems, changed that position a new title: IT Specialist. 

I married Sarah in 1986 and, that same month, I graduated from LT&T's (very successful)  Programmer Training Program to become a Computer Programmer, where I worked, designing and maintaining the Calls Detail section on the LT&T bill, and later the First Cellular bill, going through all the gradations of my position position to finally become a Programmer Analyst.

... at which point I had a nervous breakdown in 1994. I was found to be diabetic and bipolar and declared disabled by my conditions in 1995. I have never worked for pay anywhere since.  Except to shelve books in the Children's Section, part-time, for maybe half a year at Gere Library, which I had to resign from for financial and disability reasons.

All this, except for the Gere library stint, was at various corporations working with mainframe computer shops in Lincoln and Portland, Maine, and being a shift supervisor for First National Bank's Lincoln Data Center at one point, and then with the Lincoln Telephone Company's (LT&T) Data Processing Department.

Halfway through the period of my employment at First National Bank (FNB), the bank sold the Data Processing Department to Ross Perot's Electronic Data Systems (EDS). 

In order to achieve that transition, FNB first fired everyone in the department, then gave us the "opportunity" to be hired back on, to the same positions in the same workplace, by EDS.  

EDS agreed to abide by FNB personnel policies, including dress code. However (coincidentally?) after I protested them firing a number of people from my staff, which they reluctantly agreed to refrain from doing, they shortly thereafter talked FNB into changing their dress code to not allow "facial hair" (i.e. beards and mustaches). I, disagreeing strongly with the duplicity inherent in this, I resigned.

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