"What do you really know about what your customers do with your products?"

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Dear Readers:

Thanks to the many, many of you that wrote expressing concern about my accident. Much appreciated. I did leave one important piece out of the story last week. Ken McDaniel, a very good friend of ours here in Atlanta, was the "friend" who went along with Laura to help drive back from Florida. Thank you, Ken, for your much appreciated help!

Jim

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Iceland to Ireland.

Peter N. Williamson
Hudson, QC
Canada

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Jim,

Sorry to hear about your accident!

Hope you recover soon.

Take Care,

Gregg Lanternier (aka “Mr. Preoccupied” from your talk at the seminar)
Plaistow, New Hampshire
USA

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Thanks, Greg. For the rest of you, Greg was one of those I "harassed" in my safety talk in Florida last week.

Jim

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Jim,

Interesting article on spouses and teenagers. I have seen this in many
places and I am not nearly as well traveled as you. I have had 7 addresses,
my wife has had 5 and my teenage daughter has had 3. We have moved a few
times before with no lasting trauma and we all understand that we will
probably move again, although there are getting to be fewer and fewer
addresses to move to in the Northeast with a papermill handy.

Gerry Craig
Carthage, New York
USA

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Reading your editorial in Nip Impressions concerning moving, I must tell you about my movings.

Born in Lake Providence Louisisana 1940
Moved to Clay county Georgia shortly after birth,
Moved to Cuthbert GA area in 1944 and started shool at Shellman grammer school, attended there into 4th grade.
Family moved to Hawkensville GA area and finished 4th grade.
Family moved to farm outside of Blakely GA, went to 5th, 6th, 7th, grades in a small 4 room school house, went to 8th, 9th and 1st half of 10th grades at Damascus GA as this was a consolidation of small county schools in Early county.

Family moved to Dublin GA area, went 2nd half of 10 grade at Condor High school, Started to 11th grade at a new consolidated East Laurens County High School,
Family moved to Moultrie GA area and attended Moultrie High School 1st half of 11th grade.

Family moved to Americus GA area in Sumter County and went to Plains high school for the 2nd half of 11th grade and 12th grades.

Worked in Americus Winn Dixie for two years and then
Went to Georgia Southwestern College for two years, Mercer Univeristy for 1 quarter (found out a small country boy couldn't afford it) transferred to GA Southern College and graduated with a BS degree major in Chemistry and minor in Biology.

1st job out of college took me to Savannah GA at Southern Nitrogen company where I worked for 2 years,
Took a job at the paper mill at Cedar Springs, GA lived in Blakely GA and worked as Process chemist for 2 years.
Took a job with Alabama Kraft Company, Phenix City AL and moved to Columbus Ga Worked at the paper mill in various positions, Process engineer, assistant pulping Supt, Woodyard supervisor, Powerhouse Supt, Pulping Superintendent, Production Manager.
Worked there for 16 years.

Moved to Pensacola as Pulp Mill Supt for St. Regis corporation, and retired after 16 years. Held several different jobs within the mill before retirement.

I never considered that moving hurt me but opened up more learning opportunities.
During my pulp mill career, served as Chairperson of the pulp Superintendents conference for about 4 years and attended their meetings for over 15. A regular at local Tappi meeting and Alkaline Pulping conferences and other educational opportunities.

Yes, I have very few so called life long friends but have made many friends across the paper industry.

During my tenure of the paper industry, I have had the opportunity to visit most of the mills in the southeastern united states and some in Sweden, Finland and South Africa.

I am amazed at the opportunities that others pass up. When I came to Pensacola, there were, working for me, a large number of people that had never been inside of another paper mill.

Traveling and visiting other mills opened me up to ideas that never would have surfaced any other way.

Sorry to hear about your accident. Hope and pray that you are healing properly

Regards,

Tommy Surles
Pensacola, Florida
USA

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Tommy, one thing young people today perhaps do not realize is how far apart the distances you describe above were back in the day. Even moving around the state of Georgia would have been a big deal back then.

Jim

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