My Third Job: Computer Operator

"The first ultra intelligent machine
is the last invention that man need ever make."
-Irving John Good, 1965

It was March 1978 when I started working in Downtown Oakland as a ‘Computer Operator’ with Pacific Telephone on Franklin Street. I knew that computers were the future and this is where I wanted to be.

I pretty much learned the operations with on-the-job training, picking up as I went along. I had to operate three specific computers (an IBM 7074, IBM 360 and an IBM 1401). One would laugh if you saw the size of these monstrosities compared to my current DELL XPS M1710 Laptop that I use today.
PHOTO: IBM 1401


PHOTO: IBM 360


There were three shifts and I began working the 4pm to Midnight shift. It worked perfectly for me. I had school by day and worked 4pm to Midnight. After about a year I had to start working the graveyard shift (from Midnight to 8AM). This shift turned my world upside down. I still remember making my 9AM Economics class and drifting off to sleep to the sound of the boring lecture. My Computer Operator position only lasted about two years.

PHOTO: IBM 7074
There was a transition from Directory Assistance as I worked with mostly middle-aged women. There were a few other men (one named, Mike, who was in his early twenties) but the guys always worked a the day shift.

I got to know Sharon Quinn. She was always popping pills. She was no longer married but she had a son named Michael who was about twelve or thirteen. He was a nice young man. What ever became of him? Michael’s father was an African-American. Sharon helped me out for my Social Sciences college course one time by coming in to speak to my class about Interracial Relationships. It took a lot of guts for her to do. I so appreciated it. We did a great oral presentation together.
PHOTO: Sharon Quinn, Nov 1979
(Cora Zamboanga in background)

I also worked with a woman named Lucille Webb. She had a very big family and lived in Hayward, CA. She always had stories about her children and grandchildren. She was overweight and always had problems with her feet. It was not a pretty sight during break time to see her take her shoes off. She seemed to be working to feed her entire family.

PHOTO: Lucille Webb,
November 1979

There was another woman named Rosa who was from a foreign country. I remember her accent very well. I don’t really recall where she was from. It could have been the Ukraine or Israel. She always talked about green cards and the importance of a hard work ethic. She kept telling me I needed to go back to school.
PHOTO: Rosa, Nov 1979

There was also the big boss (Ann) and the assistant boss (Cora Zamboanga, a sweet Filipino woman). Ann is pictured in the white sweater, with eyeglasses in the four-composite image below.

I remember having to help train a new African-American girl named Ollie Sykes (I think that was her surname). She made me laugh. We really had fun working together. The first time she tried to mount a magnetic tape to a disk drive was so funny. She just could not do it. After about two weeks she became somewhat of an expert.
PHOTO: Ollie Sykes, Nov 1979

My Dad persuaded me to go to school full-time and that is why I left this Computer Operations world. I moved away to Sacramento, choosing to concentrate on school. .

I always wondered where I would have gone with regard to the computer industry. I began to feel lonely among all of the machines.

I needed human-beings in my life. I decided to study Marketing and I wanted my next job to allow me to interact with people face-to-face versus operating a machine. I was overdosed on analyzing the problems of a computer whenever it failed. I was good at it but I needed to ‘move on’.

I began to enjoy analyzing Marketing case studies and my specialty was advertising (copy, layout and design). More importantly, my graveyard work shift days were over.

Twenty-five years ago today:

August 20, 1984
Monday

Training seemed a waste of time today. I did two role play telephone calls and it was a real drag calling the CCSU (at that fake customer center in San Jose).

I ate lunch with Barbara Reynolds and Bobbie Renbarger at Emporium’s Park Place. It was pretty a good meal.

At home I went cycling once again and did not see Linda Nannizzi. I did see her in the morning or was it after work? I ate a salad and chicken at Mom’s and decided to return home. I telephoned Linda.
“Hi, what are you doing?”
“I’m cooking dinner. I have to go because my sister and Dad want to eat.”
“Oh, okay, do you want a ride to work tomorrow?”
“Oh, I’m driving in tomorrow too.”
I felt like I was getting a bit of a cold shoulder. Who knows? We shall see.


I telephoned Karyn Kossoff to apologize about forgetting our screenplay writing date.
“Oh I’m okay about being stood up,” Karyn said jokingly with her charming ‘Pebbles’ giggle.
I talked her into watching ’79 Park Avenue’ tonight. It’s on TV. I love that movie.

Chris Cordellos telephoned from Concord while at his mom’s house.
“I think it will be boring if we just hang out at your place. I want to go to L.A. sometime soon, near Venice Beach where my sister lives.”
“Well, it all sounds good,” I replied.
“So yeah, I met this nice guy named Grant.”

This did not go over with me too well. He made some sexual innuendo remarks that kind of excited me though. I just don’t know. He kind of pissed me off because he just wants to split town for L.A. now.
I thought to myself, “Well, I guess I’ll see him tomorrow on the 21st. I haven’t seen my so-called 'good buddy' since July 8th.”