Dark Suit and White Shirt

It's funny how a 19th century business man can shape my memories…

A couple days ago was the 4th anniversary of my father's death so it was a bit ironic to have spent that evening in the company of The Dulcinea's father and stepmother as part of a process of my girlfriend trying to establish a relationship with her estranged father. In addition, I spoke to a co-worker who was absent on Monday because he had to be at the hospital with his father who had had a heart attack, which is what killed my father. I'd meant to do a take a trip down memory lane on Tuesday by looking at some photos of my dad and whatnot but dinner precluded it. That will have to wait until this weekend but I thought of the old man today as I was reading Edwin Black's IBM and the Holocaust.

My memories were elicited when reading of John Patterson, the "ruthless and belligerent tycoon" who headed the National Cash Register Company in the late 19th century and demanded that his salesmen wear dark suits and white shirts. NCR would hire one Thomas J. Watson who would go on to Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company. He brought Patterson's dress code with him to CTR. In 1924, CTR became IBM. And my old man worked for IBM for 25 years under the leadership of Watson's son, Tom, Jr.

While he retired just as the downsizing began and business casual came into existence, I remember very well my father coming home wearing a dark suit with a white shirt. (The tie had been loosened on the el ride.) I also recall well going to Bring Your Kid to Work Day. At the time, my dad was stationed at the Montgomery Ward building in downtown Chicago. Upon arrival, we walked into the computer room which was well-chilled. There were these monoliths lining the walls lit up like Christmas trees and piles of magnetic tape reels strewn about. (I don’t' have recollection of any punch cards there but we did have them at home. We used them for taking messages when someone called on our rotary phone.) Boxes of dustless rags and cans of isopropyl alcohol with the IBM logo emblazoned on them were at the ready. And there were lots of men standing around all wearing dark suits and white shirts. I think they used 3270s when communicating with the mainframes. When someone had to poke around in the guts of a system, he'd first remove his jacket and any rings before rolling up the sleeve of his shirt. Everything was very professional and IBM techs were almost a brand of their own.

Thirty years later, I am, curiously enough, a computer tech myself. However, I am wearing jeans and a bespotted maroon shirt.