Linda Maxon discusses her career at REO Motor Car Company and Diamond REO Trucks, Inc. 6/25/2004 Shirley Bradley: This is Shirley Bradley and Linda… Linda Maxon: Linda. Shirley Bradley: …Linda Maxon and we’re at her home and we’re going to be just talking about REO memories and this is June 25, 2004. [0:14] And I’m just going to start by asking Linda a little bit about her own background, where she grew up… Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …and went to school and how she happened to go to REO. Linda Maxon: I grew up in Lansing, was born in Lansing, lived in Lansing all my life. Um, I, my very first – I graduated from Sexton High School and then Lansing Community College with an associate degree in business. And, uh, my very first job, paying job after college was at Oldsmobile. I worked there 6 months and there was a layoff and it was all strictly seniority and I was the second lowest seniority of all of General Motors in Lansing, so obviously I was laid off the very first day and I was heartbroken because my father worked at Oldsmobile and my sister worked at Oldsmobile and it was my dream to work at Oldsmobile. And my boss, whose name was Bob Beasley at Oldsmobile, came over and he put his arms around me and he says, honey, you go over to, to REO to White Motors and talk to my wife, Dorothy Beasley, who works in Personnel and she’ll give you a job. Shirley Bradley: [1:27] Beasley? Linda Maxon: Beasley. Shirley Bradley: Beasley. Linda Maxon: Dorothy Beasley. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Linda Maxon: In Personnel. It was February, the snow, ice, and I on my lunch hour I walked from Oldsmobile to Baker Street ‘cause I couldn’t get my car out of the parking lot. It was, you know, once you’re in, you’re in. So anyway, I walked over there and I didn’t want to walk over there. [laughter] Shirley Bradley: I guess not. Linda Maxon: But anyway I did and they hired me as a, um, temporary, uh, stenographer. And my first job was working in Purchasing for Art Frahm who was the, um, the purchaser for nonproductive purchases, you know, items for the plant. And I worked with him for about a month because his secretary got married and went on her honeymoon, so I worked with him. It was just temporary but then a job opened in the Purchasing Department and I worked for Ted [Nash 2:29]. Shirley Bradley: Ted [Nash 2:30]. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. And he was the, uh, electrical and paint buyer. And, um, he taught me, he kind of turned the paint buying or ordering over to me and let me call the different paint companies. He would tell me how much to order but I would get on the phone and, you know, it’s a lengthy process to go through all the ordering and following up on the paint and it was exciting that I was able to do that. And, uh, I probably worked with him maybe 1 ½ years or 2 in the Purchasing Department and then, um, the job as Head Secretary to the Director of Purchasing opened up so I moved up to the front office and I loved that job. It was, uh, secretary to Fred Colagross who was the director of purchasing, Fred Colagross. Shirley Bradley: Collingro? Linda Maxon: Colagross. Shirley Bradley: [3:30] How would you spell that? Linda Maxon: Colagross. Shirley Bradley: Oh, thank you. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: Uh, I should say that they’ll be people transcribing these tapes later. Linda Maxon: Oh, okay. Shirley Bradley: So when I come across something that I think… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …they’re not going to know either. Linda Maxon: [Bob Barton 3:43] was the man that hired me. He was the Director of Purchasing at the time and he changed jobs over and became the director of purchasing and planning and scheduling and I don’t know what they, what his title was but when he moved up to take on that job, Fred Colagross filled his job as Director of Purchasing and so that’s why I moved up to being his secretary. And I was in his office probably a year, maybe 1 ½ years, and there was another change of, of personnel and, uh, Jack Adams, who was the president, needed a secretary so he took the secretary to Arnold Schuppert who was Vice President of Engineering and Arnold Schuppert requested that I be his secretary, so I transferred from Purchasing to Engineering and was his secretary, Arnold Schuppert’s, for probably 4 or 5 years at least. Shirley Bradley: [4:55] And how was he to work for? What did you do? You were, you were secretarial work obviously, but. Linda Maxon: I was Secretary to him and, uh, what I did for him was handle all the internal communications between the whole entire Engineering Department and him. And I handled vacation schedules and pay schedules and arranged meetings and just anything involving Engineering to keep the department moving smoothly went through our office. Um, Arnold Schuppert was a unique person. Um, he had a heart of gold but not very many people probably knew that. He was a, a stickler for detail and correctness and he didn’t care who was around, he was going to correct something and which was right, it should be corrected but, um, he was difficult to work for but I learned a lot from him. Shirley Bradley: Did you? Linda Maxon: To this day I think about Arnold, you know, and some of the things that he made sure were correct and he was always right. [laughter] Shirley Bradley: Doggone, huh? [laughter] Linda Maxon: Yeah, he was always right but he was a great person and great for the company. And, um, you know, there was just so many wonderful people. It was hard for me to leave Purchasing because I thought they’ll never be another department as closely knit and fun to work in as Purchasing and I was wrong. I went to Engineering and because I didn’t know any of them, it was way in the other building, you know, it just seemed like they were in another world but they were every bit as much as good as the people I knew in Purchasing. Uh, I think it’s that way anyplace you go. You’re just a little afraid, you know, until you get into it, until you know what you’re supposed to do and who the people are. But, uh, yeah, it was, it was a great opportunity for me and… Shirley Bradley: [7:10] Who did you work for in Engineering? Linda Maxon: Arnold Schuppert. Shirley Bradley: Oh. I’m sorry. That was, that was… Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: [7:16] And Purchasing was? Linda Maxon: Fred Colagross. Shirley Bradley: Oh, yes. Linda Maxon: And before that… Shirley Bradley: Sorry. Linda Maxon: …it was Ted [Nash 7:20] and the very first was, uh, was Arthur. Shirley Bradley: Art Frahm. Linda Maxon: Art Frahm. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Linda Maxon: Arthur. Shirley Bradley: In the Paint. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: I’m curious about the paint. [7:30] Uh, you, you were ordering the paint, this was for the military trucks? Linda Maxon: No. It was for commercial trucks. Shirley Bradley: For the commercial trucks. Linda Maxon: All the different colors, red, yellow, blue, green, you know. It was, I remember DuPont. What was his name? Fred, somebody, I can’t remember his name but I got to know’m all, you know. I think the most fun was following up on orders because so-and-so truck had to go out on a certain date, did we have the paint? And it was, I kind of kept track of when the paint came in so they knew that we had it in the plant for, for each job and it, it was fun. It was fun to do that. Shirley Bradley: I can imagine. Linda Maxon: It made me feel important. [laughter] Shirley Bradley: And obviously you did it well. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Other than just sitting and typing and filing and [inaudible 8:19]. Shirley Bradley: Oh, I would think so. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: There’s a whole human scope to it then. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Other than just… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Like you say [inaudible 8:24]. Linda Maxon: It makes you feel like you’re part of the… Shirley Bradley: Yeah. And that’s good because then you have pride in… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …in the product, pride in your job. Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: That’s marvelous. Linda Maxon: Right. You know, the only disappointment and it became shameful, I never saw the plant. I never, when I worked there, never went out and saw the production line. I never went further out in the plant, the traffic. It always seemed like there was never the right time, you know, or somebody would say, well, I’ll take you out and we’ll show you, never did, never did. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Linda Maxon: My husband was a supplier to the company in his job. He’d seen the whole thing. Shirley Bradley: ‘Cause he was all over. Linda Maxon: He’d been all over the plant. He knew more people from the plant than I did, you know. But he saw it, I never did and I, I’ve always regretted that but I didn’t see it when it was actually in production. Shirley Bradley: Right. Linda Maxon: But that would be interesting. Shirley Bradley: [9:20] Going back to when you came from Oldsmobile, what year was that when you hired into REO? Linda Maxon: Uh, ’67. Shirley Bradley: In ’67. Linda Maxon: March of ’67. Shirley Bradley: March of ’67. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. And I worked there until the day the, the last day, when, when everything was closed down. Shirley Bradley: [9:35] Oh, what was that like? Linda Maxon: It was dreadful. It was dreadful. It was, it was so gloomy and so sad and, and for me, I knew I would be okay in my life because we decided that it’s the right time, we’ll start a family and so that’s what we did. Uh, for other people, it was their life, you know, and they had to start all over and find a new job and it was scary [clock chime] and sad and maddening. Shirley Bradley: Oh yeah, yeah. [10:09] Um, so being in the position that you were in hearing a lot of, you know, executives talk and that sort of thing, you must have felt it was coming, you must have kind of some inkling? Linda Maxon: I just had a, a feeling that, that it was over. Um, I remember the man that bought the company, Cappaert, he used to, he talked so positive like it was going to go on and on and on but then you’d hear rumors, you know, that it wasn’t going to go on or that it was just, he was just buying it to sell it, you know. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Linda Maxon: I don’t know. I, I had a bad feeling that it was not going to go on. Shirley Bradley: Did you? That sixth sense. Linda Maxon: Yeah. That it was not going to go on. Shirley Bradley: [10:48] Did he come in to your department or you saw him? Linda Maxon: He used to come in a lot… Shirley Bradley: Did he? Linda Maxon: …and sit and talk and he, of course, talked to Mr. Schuppert. And, yeah, it was just… Shirley Bradley: And then when he was starting to let people go, I’ve heard a lot about Mildred Johnson. Linda Maxon: Right. She was his secretary, right-hand woman, right-hand man, yeah. They used to have big meetings over in the clubhouse and hoopla that this was going to happen and that’s going to happen and things are going to be better and, you know, just it wasn’t. Shirley Bradley: Like political promises. [chuckle] Linda Maxon: Right, right. Shirley Bradley: Oh, um, yeah, I’ve heard some really... Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …to a person just what you had just experienced and felt. Um, speaking of the clubhouse... Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: [11:33] Did you belong to the Girls Club? Linda Maxon: Yes. I was president 1 year. Shirley Bradley: Tell me a little – you were? [11:36] Tell me about that. Linda Maxon: I couldn’t tell you what year I was president. Shirley Bradley: That’s all right. Linda Maxon: I was president for 1 year. From the very beginning when I started at REO, when I, when I hired in it was White Motor and then it, um, became, um, White Motor Division. It was White Motor Division Diamond REO that had come together. Um, I started with the Girls Club right from the very beginning and I, I enjoyed every minute of it. It was wonderful because you would meet all these people from all the different departments that really you would have no contact with on a close basis… Shirley Bradley: Sure. Linda Maxon: …if you didn’t belong to the club. Shirley Bradley: [12:16] Were they for the most part secretaries and office workers? Linda Maxon: Anything. Yes, yes. Shirley Bradley: [12:21] Nobody from down like production or? Linda Maxon: I don’t remember that there was. No, I don’t remember there were any production people. We’d meet at noon on the lunch hour and probably our lunch hour didn’t coincide with theirs, you know. We did have some meets, some activities in the evening. Uh, one of the happiest memories I have of the clubhouse are the Christmas parties. Shirley Bradley: Oh. [12:45] Tell me about the Christmas parties. What were they like? Linda Maxon: Fabulous. They’d have a, I can’t remember whether it was a, I guess it was probably a band. Um, and you’d get all dressed up and, and go there and just have a wonderful evening, dancing and talking with people and it was a highlight. You always looked forward to it. Shirley Bradley: Is that right? Linda Maxon: You always looked forward to it. Shirley Bradley: A nice banquet and a… Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: …program perhaps. Linda Maxon: Right, right. Um, and then, um, after I moved over to Engineering, I was, uh, in the Steering Gear Club. And the Steering Gear Club started out to be men only. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Linda Maxon: It was, uh, like an executive club for the men and they’d meet once a month and have a dinner meeting and a speaker of whatever and it was sort of a social thing. Well, then, there was, uh, they decided that it was discriminating not to have the wom-, executive women in the club [chuckle] so all the executive secretaries were invited to join, so for a couple years I was in that. And I remember one year we were supposed to have a banquet, a formal banquet, and it was March 17 and we wo-, and had flowers and all, you know, it was a fabulous evening planned. We woke up to like 20 inches of snow, so the whole thing was canceled. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Linda Maxon: And it was a couple weeks later I still had the vase out on the porch from that eve-, you know, memor-, commemorative of that evening. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Linda Maxon: But yeah, a lot of fun. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Linda Maxon: A lot of fun socializing. It seems like we worked hard but we played hard, you know. It was... Shirley Bradley: It just sounds great. I wish I had been there at that time. Linda Maxon: Yeah, yeah. Shirley Bradley: [14:30] So the Girls Club and the Steering Gear Club were pretty much the same gals…? Linda Maxon: Uh. Shirley Bradley: …after the women got in? [chuckle] Linda Maxon: Right. Some of the same girls were in that, right, right. Shirley Bradley: [14:40] What kind of events did you, um, as – well, in the Steering Gear, was that just more or less for social? Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Linda Maxon: Dinner and… Shirley Bradley: [14:49] And the women’s club was social but you did some things too? Linda Maxon: Um, you know, I, I, after I left REO, I was in another group and it’s hard to... Shirley Bradley: Oh, yeah. Linda Maxon: …separate the 2. Shirley Bradley: I’m thinking of Red Stocking that I remember when I was a kid, Red Stocking. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: I wasn’t that young, but I mean… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …as opposed to now. [chuckle] Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Um, and, uh, Christmas parties where the families came. Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: Uh. Linda Maxon: It seems like we used to do a lot for needy families that maybe people that were employees or the offshoot of employees that needed help at Christmastime for food or gifts. Um, you know, it was, it wasn’t just a social, uh, group. We did things but to be specific I really can’t… Shirley Bradley: That’s okay. Linda Maxon: …on what we did. Shirley Bradley: That’s okay. Um, I had it right on the tip of my tongue. Well, I guess while I’m trying to remember what I was thinking, um, we were lucky in ’92 to interview several of the other gals that worked … Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …in the office staff. You’re the first one I’ve talked to about the Steering Gear Club. That’s great. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: Um, [Ardith Pappen 16:00] was one of the people we… Linda Maxon: Oh. Shirley Bradley: …desperately wanted and [Fern Placeway 16:04] to interview. Linda Maxon: Hm. Shirley Bradley: And they invited us several times to their luncheons. I don’t know if you were present… Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: …on the south end of Lansing in Golden… Linda Maxon: A long time ago I did. Right. Shirley Bradley: …yeah, Golden Triangle or something… Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: …Restaurant, which I don’t think is there now but, uh, Linda, not Linda… Linda Maxon: [Ardith 16:19]? Shirley Bradley: …Lisa and I were invited… Linda Maxon: Oh. Shirley Bradley: …and went 2 or 3 times to the lunches and had a great time. Um, and Fern and [Ardith 16:25] both said yes, yes, we’d like to talk to you but it just never happened. Linda Maxon: Hm. Shirley Bradley: And later we discovered that, uh, [Ardith 16:33] for one was, was ill and we didn’t know it. Linda Maxon: Hm. Shirley Bradley: And the times that she thought she would… Linda Maxon: Be able to. Shirley Bradley: … be interviewed discovered that maybe she had to go to a treatment or something… Linda Maxon: Hm. Shirley Bradley: …and then was too weak afterwards so bless her heart but she seems to have touched a lot of lives. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Oh yeah. Everybody knew her. Shirley Bradley: [16:50] Did they? Linda Maxon: Everybody knew her. Yeah. She was a nurse, wasn’t she? Shirley Bradley: First Aid. Linda Maxon: First Aid. Shirley Bradley: Yeah. Linda Maxon: And Fern was in Personnel, wasn’t she? Shirley Bradley: Yes, I think she was. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: And, uh, we got to talk to Hilda Smith and I don’t know if you, if she was there when you came because… Linda Maxon: She was. Um, she was in Accounting, was she? Shirley Bradley: No. Hilda Smith was Personnel. Linda Maxon: Personnel. Shirley Bradley: Yeah. My dad used to, that’s why I’m not sure if you knew here because my – she hired – when my dad hired in… Linda Maxon: [Inaudible 17:18] yes. Shirley Bradley: …she was the one that called him and… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …he didn’t think that he had been hired so he didn’t show up and she called him and said you get in here. Linda Maxon: [chuckle] Yeah. Shirley Bradley: We didn’t have a phone so she had to… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …call the neighbors, you know… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …and that sort of thing and so… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: But then, uh, when she was in Provincial House West, Lisa and I went to talk with her. What a lovely woman. Linda Maxon: Oh. Shirley Bradley: And by her bedside she had 2 things. She said these are the 2 most important things I have, my Bible and my REO big book. They made a memory book… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …that they made for her when she retired. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Those were the 2 things that meant all the world to her. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: And she was I think in her 90s. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: [Inaudible 17:55] bright mentally and… Linda Maxon: Isn’t that great. Shirley Bradley: …accommodating. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Gracious. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: So we were very lucky. Linda Maxon: That’s why it’s so important to get that type of an interview because it’s lost. It’s absolutely lost. Shirley Bradley: Oh, it is. When they go, those memories… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …are gone. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: And, of course, REO being gone. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: And, uh, it must have made you feel bad like it did everybody when they tore the clubhouse down. Linda Maxon: Well, I remember the day that it burned. I knew it was burning. I, of course, heard it. We had to go to East Lansing that night [vibrating sound] and drive past the, on the freeway and you could see the flames. Shirley Bradley: You could. Linda Maxon: It was horrible. It was absolutely horrible. I guess, you know, it’s bad enough to know it’s happening but to see it, it’s even worse, you know, all the memories and everything. Shirley Bradley: Oh, everything. It’s like you tore, you took my childhood home… Linda Maxon: A part of your life. Shirley Bradley: …and burned it down. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Um. Linda Maxon: Your phone is ringing. Male: I know who that is. Linda Maxon: [chuckle] Sorry. Yeah, yeah. It was hard, you know. Shirley Bradley: I’ve heard a lot of stories about the fire there, that the mayor was someone who drove the bulldozer or the whatever. Linda Maxon: Oh, really? Shirley Bradley: He found that – I’ve been told by other folks I’ve talked to and they don’t mind if I mention it ‘cause I asked them, that he wanted that land so that the City could sell it and, uh, he had people coming in that wanted to buy, buy that area but it had to be, you know, taken down. Well, of course, the plant was old. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: Uh, but I don’t think the clubhouse needed to go… Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …and maybe the administration building but they said that he, it was on the verge of being designated a historical site. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: That he had a 24-hour grace period between, it’s like a crack… Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …you know, that he found and so that was the day, that night was the night it was set to burn because the 24 hours was going to be up the next day. Linda Maxon: Really? Shirley Bradley: Uh-huh. And, uh, it’s interesting too because I’m trying to think when this happened, sometime in the 90s, I got a phone call from a young woman who had been taking a photography course at LCC and the instructor had told them, you know, be out and about with your camera all the time. If you see something, take pictures of it, you know. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: And it’s all going to work into your studies and we can evaluate so on and so on. Well, anyway, she had a little apartment, she’s a single mom, she had a little baby, an infant really, uh, and she had gotten up to, uh, 10:00 feeding I think and looked out of her kitchen window while she was heating the bottle and saw the flames. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: And she thought oh my God. Well, first she was a little frightened and then she thought… Linda Maxon: Hm. Shirley Bradley: …ah, my camera. So she bundled up the baby and the camera and drove down… Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …and parked in by the depot on the north side [inaudible 20:53]… Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: …and, um, got her camera out and started clicking away and a policeman came up to her and said who are you and what are you doing here. She said I’m so-and-so and I’m just taking pictures. And he wanted, he took her name and address and told her to leave and she thought, she said why, I’m not doing anything. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: I’m just taking pictures… Linda Maxon: Pictures. Shirley Bradley: …for my class. But he insisted she leave so she said I went back to my car and he drove away. And she said then I thought, hm, so she went back, she stood under the eaves of the depot roof… Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …to where she really was kind of in the shadows and kept taking pictures and she showed me all the pictures. She had 2 rolls of them and it wasn’t long after that… Linda Maxon: [Inaudible 21:33]. Shirley Bradley: …she started getting threatening phone calls from somebody who didn’t identify themselves, it was a man, and he insisted that she turn over those negatives to him and the prints and she got frightened after that. This went on for several weeks and she got frightened and she took them all to her dad and he put them, he lived out in the country and he took’m. Linda Maxon: Hm. Shirley Bradley: So she didn’t even have them after that, so they were safe. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: And she brought them to me ‘cause she said I don’t know why… Linda Maxon: Hm. Shirley Bradley: …this was so secret and I don’t know why I was hounded. Do you have any idea? And this was a brand new story to me and I didn’t know. I just through these interviews this year just found out the other half of the story and now I wish I could find her again… Linda Maxon: Yeah. To tell her. Shirley Bradley: …and say here’s the reason. This is why. You had pictures they didn’t want you to have. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: Well, of course, that was pretty obvious. Linda Maxon: A cover-up. Shirley Bradley: But why, she had no idea. This is interesting. And almost all the people we interviewed, they all say they tore down the clubhouse. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: How could they do that? Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: And, of course, we would love it. It would make a fabulous place for our museum. Linda Maxon: Oh, right, right. Shirley Bradley: I mean right there on the site. Linda Maxon: Oh, I know it. Shirley Bradley: Yeah. Linda Maxon: The woodwork… Shirley Bradley: Yeah. Linda Maxon: …and the mahogany when you walk in. Shirley Bradley: [22:38] Oh, is that right? Linda Maxon: It was absolutely gorgeous. Shirley Bradley: [22:40] Was it? Linda Maxon: Yeah. It was, it was unique, you know. There’s nothing like it, nothing like it. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: The, the entire… Linda Maxon: The front when you walk in the big wooden doors and the, you know, the door going in to the ballroom, it was gorgeous. It was absolutely gorgeous. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Linda Maxon: It was old, of course, but it could have been updated and include them but today it would be nothing like it. Shirley Bradley: Oh, it would be. Linda Maxon: Nothing like it. Shirley Bradley: I went there when I was 4 or 5. We lived in Holt without a car [chuckle] and neighbors took us in because I imagine somebody… Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …worked at REO and my dad had worked there too. So at any rate, we went in to I imagine it was the ballroom and saw I think we were there a couple of times. Once we saw Frank Buck who is the Bring ‘Em Back Alive guy. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: He was, he would go to Africa and bring back animals… Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …and show them. I don’t recall any animals being there but I recall that he was there. Linda Maxon: Hm. Shirley Bradley: I was 4 or 5. And then we went to see Major Bowes and I don’t think you’ll know who he was [chuckle] but he had an amateur hour on the radio. Linda Maxon: Oh, uh-huh. Shirley Bradley: And he came to Lansing and he was there. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: And, uh, so I do remember being in that room. Linda Maxon: I just remembered the Girls Club and Engineering we made Thanksgiving baskets and I have a picture of all the engineering people and the Girls Club with all the floor full of, um, baskets. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Linda Maxon: I remember that for Thanksgiving, so. Shirley Bradley: [24:09] Now where did the baskets go? Linda Maxon: To needy people for Thanksgiving. Shirley Bradley: [24:12] People, families that worked there? Linda Maxon: Families or, you know, like anybody that knew of anybody. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Linda Maxon: And that I’m sure that was the Girls Club because there I remember Doris Dow and Zurada and… Shirley Bradley: Oh, yes. Doris. Yes, we talked. We’ve had a lot of, had a lot of interaction… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …with Doris too. Linda Maxon: Yeah. She was a mainstay. Shirley Bradley: She was, kept that, the Girls Club, you know… Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: …the thing going for the lunches. Linda Maxon: Right. Zurada. Shirley Bradley: Yeah, we’ve lost her too. [24:37] And who? Linda Maxon: Zurada Lichtie. Shirley Bradley: [24:40] Surada? Linda Maxon: Zurada. Shirley Bradley: Zurada. Linda Maxon: Zurada Lichtie. I think it is L-i-c-h-t-i-e. And there was Gwen Oliver. She was, uh, Engineering. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Linda Maxon: I think she was in Engineering. Yeah. See if I can find that picture. [pause] The baskets, the picture of the baskets, the Thanksgiving baskets… Shirley Bradley: Hm. Linda Maxon: …I don’t know where it is. I thought I could put my finger on it but I can’t. Shirley Bradley: Uh, I’ve heard a lot of the folks I’ve talked to have all referred to [Clair Laugenslager 26:28]. Was he there when you were there? Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Uh, yes, he was. And I used to do some work for him. If his secretary was gone, he’d have me come up and, and, um, do his dictation, uh. [pause] Shirley Bradley: Um, let me think. [26:57] Something, anything you’d like to share or ask or anything that I haven’t even touched on, please do. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: [27:05] So you were there from ’63 was it? Linda Maxon: Right, well, actually… Shirley Bradley: ’67. Linda Maxon: …’67 through… Shirley Bradley: Yeah, ’67. Linda Maxon: What was it ‘75 [inaudible 27:14]? Shirley Bradley: April of ’75. Linda Maxon: Right. Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: Somebody I talked to, I don’t remember which gal it was from I think maybe the Girls Club too said that she went in to work and the doors were padlocked. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: And she said I sat down and cried. Linda Maxon: Yeah, yeah. Shirley Bradley: [27:32] Um, were you able to get any, did, did you have a pension plan when you worked there? Linda Maxon: No. I worked there 9 years and 4 months so I had no pension. Shirley Bradley: [27:44] Oh, you had to be there how long? Linda Maxon: You had to be there 10 years. Shirley Bradley: [27:47] To qualify for? Is that right? Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Linda Maxon: But I’ll tell you one thing I did, after I, uh, moved over to become Arnold Schuppert’s secretary I was on salary. I wasn’t hourly, so I was able to, to be in the, uh, I would contribute to my, uh, retirement and they take so much out, whatever they called it, I can’t remember. They take so much out of my check and I had about $1200 built up in that account in my name and, uh, I think part of the reason that I had a sick feeling that it was going under was, um, because of my husband’s work. They, they told him get your bills in, you know, if REO owed you anything… Shirley Bradley: If you wanted to collect. Linda Maxon: …get’m in… Shirley Bradley: Oh. Linda Maxon: …because this is going to go to foul. And, uh, so I thought $1200, you know, that was a lot of money back then to me, you know, and, um, so I went up to Payroll and I talked to [Essie 28:54] who was my friend, [Essie McBride 28:55] and I said, um, I’d like to take my money out. No, don’t do that. And her boss came and talked to me. If you take this out, you can’t start back up where it is when we, when things, if things continue and we’re okay, like we’re going to be okay, you’re going, you’ll have to start all over again. You can’t start back at $1200 and keep on going, you know, and you’re going to lose a lot of ground by doing that and I said, well, I’ll take that chance. I’ll take my money and, um, so I did. And not very many people did that and they ended up losing whatever they had in their payroll. Shirley Bradley: Payroll deduction. Linda Maxon: Right. And, uh… Shirley Bradley: [29:41] And they kept it there or they banked it for you? Linda Maxon: Right, right. The company did. It was in an account, you know, it’s like an IRA, like a 401k. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Linda Maxon: Well, anyway, I took my $1200 and we had just bought this house and it was pretty empty and so I thought I am going to buy something with that money that I can always look at and know that was my money from Diamond REO [inaudible 30:07]. Shirley Bradley: It was from really hard work. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: [30:09] What did you get with it? Linda Maxon: A pool table. [laughter] Shirley Bradley: A fun thing. Linda Maxon: Yeah, yeah. Shirley Bradley: Well, sure, why not? Linda Maxon: We’ve always enjoyed it. We’ve always enjoyed it, so, there’s my pension right there. Shirley Bradley: But you can see it and touch it. Linda Maxon: Yes. Right, right. Shirley Bradley: A lot of people lost everything. Linda Maxon: Oh, I know they did. Shirley Bradley: Um, and some got some back and some got a little back and some got nothing back, I guess, and it took years. Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: And somebody else told me too that, uh, Cappaert or REO never really ever paid any of it out of there. He never paid any of it back. Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: But the insurance company had to. Linda Maxon: Right, right. Shirley Bradley: After all the litigation. Linda Maxon: Right, right. Shirley Bradley: So your working conditions were pretty good. Linda Maxon: Oh yeah, yeah. Shirley Bradley: You had your own office and… Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: [30:49] And was your equipment up, updated, your typewriters...? Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: ..and whatever? Linda Maxon: Everything was fine. In fact I got a brand – you see, after Arnold Schuppert, there was a big shakeup and Arnold Schuppert was fired and Jack Adams and [Laugenslager 31:01] and, and that is when, uh, George Sztykiel became my boss. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Linda Maxon: And… Shirley Bradley: He’s the one that went to Spartan Motors. Linda Maxon: To Spartan. He and a lot of the engineers went out there and started that and I kept in close contact with them [inaudible 31:17] a hop, skip, and a jump away. And Bill Foster is a close friend, close family friend, and he was on the ground floor of starting Spartan with George. But, um, so George Sztykiel was my boss for about 1 ½ years and then it was, uh, John Knox who was, who came with George from, from, um, was it Chrysler or wherever they came from. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Linda Maxon: And, um, in fact, I had just gotten a new typewriter about 2 weeks before it was all done and out and it was a wonderful typewriter. Somebody stole it actually before I, before we were even done, uh, working, my typewriter disappeared, so somebody knew more than we did, you know, what was going on. I don’t know where it went. We never did find it. Shirley Bradley: For goodness sake. Linda Maxon: Yeah, yeah. Shirley Bradley: [32:15] And you had your own office? Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: You didn’t have to be… Linda Maxon: Outer office. Shirley Bradley: In the outer office. Linda Maxon: To his office. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Linda Maxon: Yeah, yeah. It was lovely. Right in the, right on Washington Avenue, the very end corner building before the clubhouse where you walk across. Shirley Bradley: Oh, northwest corner… Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …so to speak. Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: And you, so you could look out all day. Linda Maxon: Oh yeah. I could see everything. Yeah, it was wonderful. Shirley Bradley: How wonderful. ‘Cause you don’t think of that in connection with a factory. Linda Maxon: Right, right. Yeah. It was up in front. Of course, the, the staff engineers were on the same floor. There was probably 7 of them or 8. Mr. Schuppert’s office and then the staff engineers were kind of like this and then the secretaries out in the middle and then upstairs was drafting and the blueprint department, [Homer Hopkins 33:00]. Shirley Bradley: [33:01] That was 3 floors? Linda Maxon: It was, uh, 2 floors. Shirley Bradley: Two floors. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm, mm-hm. [Homer Hopkins 33:07] who was the head of the blueprint department used to work at Oldsmobile and he knew my father ‘cause my father was an engineer at Oldsmobile. Shirley Bradley: Oh, oh, he was? Linda Maxon: But he died in 1950 and Homer had known him before that so… Shirley Bradley: [33:25] Homer? Linda Maxon: Homer [Hopkins 33:26]. Shirley Bradley: [33:27] Holbert? Linda Maxon: Homer, H-o-m-e-r. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Linda Maxon: Homer [Hopkins 33:32]. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Linda Maxon: Yeah. He knew my dad. He would have been my dad’s age approximately. Shirley Bradley: That’s a nice connection. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Yeah. Linda Maxon: Yeah, so. Shirley Bradley: [33:41] So after the plant closed, did you go back to work? You mentioned starting a family. Linda Maxon: No, I did not go back to work and I have not worked since, uh. Shirley Bradley: Lovely that you could be home… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Oh… Shirley Bradley: …and be an at-home mom with your kids. Linda Maxon: Oh, I tell you, I wouldn’t change those years for anything. Shirley Bradley: Oh, no. They go too fast. Linda Maxon: And my daughters have the same, same feeling. They want to be a stay-at-home mom. Our second daughter was born with a lot of health problems, which she’s overcome. Shirley Bradley: Oh wonderful. Linda Maxon: But it made a difference with me being home to work with her and help her. And at that, and after our girls were about 4 or 5 years old, his parents and my mother both their health declined and we ended up taking care of them here at home and to keep them out of the nursing home, so for 10 years it was just us revolving… Shirley Bradley: Revolving door. Linda Maxon: But I wouldn’t have, I wouldn’t give those years up for anything. You know, I, I was fortunate that I could be home. Shirley Bradley: Oh yes. Linda Maxon: That I could be home with them. Shirley Bradley: Absolutely. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Yeah. Um, you mentioned your husband was a supplier for REO. Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: [34:45] What kind of products? Linda Maxon: He works for Fuller Brush Company. In fact, he started, his very first day with Fuller Brush was the same as my first day at Diamond REO. Shirley Bradley: Is that right? Linda Maxon: March 6, 1967. And it’s his one and only job and he still has it. He has never changed jobs. Shirley Bradley: Oh, so he must love what he’s doing. Linda Maxon: Yeah, and everybody loves him. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Linda Maxon: It’s commercial Fuller Brush. It’s industrial. It’s not household door-to-door. Shirley Bradley: This is not door-to-door. Linda Maxon: Not door-to-door. Shirley Bradley: The Fuller Brush man. [chuckle] Linda Maxon: No. But, but he’s still a Fuller Brush man. [laughter] He always will be, yeah. Shirley Bradley: [35:20] What kind of products would REO buy from him? Linda Maxon: Brooms and brushes, heavy-duty, uh, push brooms and, um, mops, cleaning supplies. Shirley Bradley: Cleaning compounds. Linda Maxon: Right. Floor, you know, like, um, chemicals for wax and cleaning and… Shirley Bradley: All that. Linda Maxon: …window cleaner, you name it, every from the top down any, any kind of cleaning product to clean anything. Shirley Bradley: So he would come in, [35:48] was there a specific person that he…? Linda Maxon: He used to talk to [Don Ellis 35:52] out in the plant and I think he was, um, maintenance or something. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Linda Maxon: He’d talk to the maintenance supervisor. He’d sell the products to the supervisor and then he would come back at night or whenever they would do their cleaning and show them how to use it… Shirley Bradley: Oh. Linda Maxon: …and train them. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Linda Maxon: And he, he does this all over the country, anyplace he sells anything he, he does a lot of training, a lot of training. That’s probably his biggest part of his job. Shirley Bradley: I was going to say, that’s a real… Linda Maxon: And it’s never ending ‘cause there’s always a new person coming in, you know. It’s constant change, constant change. Shirley Bradley: He’s a busy man. [36:39] Uh, so was he able to get what REO owed him…? Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …there toward the end? Linda Maxon: Yes. Shirley Bradley: He didn’t end up… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …holding… Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: …the bag. Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: That’s good. Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: ‘Cause I’ve heard a lot of horror stories… Linda Maxon: Oh, I know it. Shirley Bradley: …about how they had to hide… Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Parts. Linda Maxon: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: So they could finish a truck. Linda Maxon: Yup. Shirley Bradley: That sort of thing. Well, let me glance back. Linda Maxon: It was a great place to work. Shirley Bradley: That’s what I was going to ask you. Linda Maxon: A great [inaudible 36:53]. Shirley Bradley: [36:53] When you’re looking back… Linda Maxon: Oh I never, I wouldn’t regret it a minute, not 1 minute, not 1 minute. It’s, it was a good livelihood, it was a safe place to work, it was friendly, and, uh, I always felt like I was appreciated. I didn’t feel like I have to go to work today. I loved it, you know. And I do miss, I have missed it through the years. Shirley Bradley: Have you? Linda Maxon: I, I’ve missed the fun times when I’d feel like I had no adult contact on a, you know, intellectual level, you know. [laughter] Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. All you knew were children songs. Linda Maxon: Yeah. [laughter] I, and, and I missed getting up in the morning and getting dressed and going to work. Shirley Bradley: That structure. Linda Maxon: Right, but. Shirley Bradley: You, you’re probably still active with the, the retirees’ groups. Linda Maxon: As much as I can be but a lot of times it seemed like they fall on the wrong date. Shirley Bradley: Oh yeah. Linda Maxon: It’s when we’re gone or whatever. But no, I do keep in touch. Shirley Bradley: [37:44] Do you go to the, the summer gathering that they usually have, the luncheon? Linda Maxon: I have a couple of times, a couple of times but there again, sometimes [inaudible 37:52]. Shirley Bradley: Depends on when. Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: Yeah. Linda Maxon: Right. Shirley Bradley: Well, you know, I, I sit here thinking I envy you that wonderful experience you had and the contacts and the fun and, and the work was not drudgery. It was… Linda Maxon: No. It was not. Shirley Bradley: …a good thing, a good thing. [38:09] Uh, do you think that your pay scale was commensurate with whatever they were getting at Oldsmobile in the offices? Linda Maxon: It was, it was. Shirley Bradley: [38:15] And you had hospitalization and...? Linda Maxon: Yes, I did. And, um, yes, there was, it was fine. It was, it was completely, for me it was completely fair and, and, uh, I had no ill feelings at all like I wasn’t being taken care of. Shirley Bradley: [38:32] And the building that you worked in, the Administration Building…? Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: [throat clearing] …excuse me, that was all up to date in good, in good, uh, condition? Linda Maxon: Uh, actually compared to Oldsmobile, I, when I was at, at Oldsmobile, the Administration Building was brand new. That, that… Shirley Bradley: Oh, it was? Linda Maxon: …[inaudible] white-black building. It was I think it opened in 1963 or ’64… Shirley Bradley: Oh. Linda Maxon: …and that’s when I hired in, like it wasn’t even a year old. And so you compare the, the white gleaming floors and the granite, you know, the type of things that were in that building but when you came over to, to REO it was the history and it was just, you couldn’t compare the 2 buildings. The equipment we had, the desks we had, everything was fine but you look at the structure, you couldn’t compare. One was old, one was brand new. One was very modern, one was old fashioned but, you know, the bathrooms were clean and, you know, we had our areas where we could eat lunch and, you know, you really couldn’t compare them because they weren’t at all, it wasn’t apples to apples. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Linda Maxon: But the work conditions were fine. It was just the, the structure wasn’t the same. I remember my very first job working for Art Frahm, his, um, the windows were, his office was very close to the outside wall and, you know, the train tracks, my desk would jiggle when the freight trains would go through. They’d go 3 or 4, [clock chime] you know, just rumble through and sometimes you’d be on the phone and you’d say just a minute, we have to wait for the train. I mean it was noisy. It was, you were right there by the railroad tracks and… Shirley Bradley: Oh, that’s the corner you were in. Linda Maxon: That was, you know, I mean, that was – Purchasing was even closer… Shirley Bradley: Oh. Linda Maxon: …to the, uh, to that outside wall than, than Engineering but I don’t know. It was just a totally different experience but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Shirley Bradley: Oh, sounds wonderful. Well, I thank you so much. Linda Maxon: [Inaudible 40:38]. Shirley Bradley: [40:38] Any last thoughts or…? Linda Maxon: Well, I wish the, um, historical committee well and I think you’re doing a fabulous job and, and I, I, I think it’s commendable… Shirley Bradley: Thank you. Linda Maxon: …what you’re doing. And I think the, the celebration in July will be wonderful. Shirley Bradley: Oh, and I hope that you can take part in some of these events, Friday and Saturday… Linda Maxon: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …16th and 17th are going to be really a lot of fun. /mlc