Throwback Thursday - Polaroid 1980?

This one is a true classic, right down to the cracks in the emulsion of an old Polaroid SX-70 print! Moving recently I've discovered the gift that keeps on giving - a couple of boxes of old photographs.

The year is around 1980 and Marian Stanley (seated center), who truly is one of the nicest people I've ever worked with, was leaving Polaroid. I don't remember her actual title, but she was a significant part of the team that kept Polaroid's Consumer Services on their toes. She was an outstanding writer, and at a time before Internet communications, every letter I wrote as a Customer Service rep to a consumer had to be approved by Marian. If I wrote a letter and she had less than three corrections I'd celebrate and take my family out to dinner!

Marian was leaving the company, and her silver/blonde hair was a trademark - so we bought wigs as part of the tribute. These are the five services managers at the time along with Jane and Peter Pescatore behind me and Sal LaRocca on the far right who were part of the Polaroid Camera Products Services senior staff based in Massachusetts. The services managers were Phil Truesdale, me, Joe Parham, Alan Small and Jim Wright.

This is also a perfect "Throwback" image because it brings back so many great memories. Including an effort by Marian and a couple of others to get me to stop using the name "Skip." The feeling at the time was, no adult who wants to be taken seriously in the business world should be named "Skip."  Well, my real name is Steven and all these years I just never felt like a Steven. Even my birth announcement was "Skippy."

It's ironic that 35+ years later Facebook would close my account because "Skip" didn't match the name on my driver's license. Fortunately, a few hundred friends came to my rescue, including Brent Watkins who designed the thumbnail to the right. Facebook was suddenly buried in posts and tweets confirming my identity. Eight hours later they apologized.

And one more thing about Throwback Thursday posts - it puts you in the mood to track down old friends and see what they're doing. Today Marian is an accomplished mystery writer with her first novel on Amazon and a second one in the works. The Internet hasn't just changed the way we share information about our lives; it's given us the ability to stay in touch with those travelers we've met along life's journey!

I was with Polaroid for seventeen years and so much of the foundation of my business today is thanks to those years and people I was lucky to work with like Marian.

Happy Throwback Thursday!

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