General Electric and Xavier University

General Electric offered an intriguing situation
In something called Operations Analysis at
A semi-secret project located in Evendale, Ohio,
Labeled Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion.

Exactly how this came to his attention is
Lost in the mists of memory, but was
Most likely a call from a recruiter trolling
The engineering post-graduates at N.Y.U.

The work itself was not well-described, but
Seemed to involve designing the management structure,
With some emphasis on the interaction of groups,
And the systems and procedures whereby they did so.

To this day, it is difficult to measure what contribution
His department made to the functioning of the project.
He concentrated on charting the flow of information
In order to expedite accomplishment of given tasks.

Also, at that time, General Electric required all managers
And individual contributors to take a course in house on
Professional Management, written by a N.Y.U. professor,
One Peter F. Drucker, who was beginning to become renowned.

Meanwhile, he needed two more courses to complete
His degree requirements for Master of Industrial Engineering.
Xavier University in Cincinnati offered a budding M.B.A. program
With two courses that N.Y.U. approved.

Both were taught by members of his G.E. department.
Both came in handy in later experiences.
Upon completion, he applied to teach a course or two
In the M.B.A. program in the evening.

Promptly hired, he tackled a course which
He would later call, Principles of Management,
And another, Strategic Planning, thereby acquiring a
Resume entry that would inform his later career.

Teaching bought them a combination washer-dryer
For their new ranch home in a development north of Cincinnati.
It was an idyllic time in an idyllic place for a family
With three young children in elementary school.

They found a delightful Episcopal church in nearby Glendale.
They swam all summer in the pool run by the homeowners.
And went to drive-ins for meals and movies.
One summer, they drove to Colorado to visit and sight see.

But the project failed a Department of Defense review,
And was therefore scheduled for termination.
His fellows in the department all scattered to find other jobs,
Characterized by a working acquaintance with the tools of management.

He made a half-hearted effort to find employment in the area,
But nothing seriously interesting presented itself,
So he cast his net in wider circles, and identified an interest
In management consulting for an industrial management clientele.