Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years.
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I worked for the Scotts Company for somewhere around 24 years. During that time I made a lot of friends, and I would like to share a little snippet about one of them with you … a man named George Horn. I’m sure a lot of readers knew him. He and his wife, Midge, were neighbors of ours, and they had a lot of friends in Marysville.
George’s desk was only a few feet from mine, so we got to know each other’s work habits pretty well. In one respect, we were as different as night and day. You see, the top of my desk sometimes was a little disorganized. It might contain a few reference books, stacks of memos, magazines, photographs, and maybe even a candy bar wrapper.
George, on the other hand, was just the opposite. The top of his desk was always as neat as a pin. I think he believed that the fewer things he had on top of his desk, the more efficiently he could work.
Then one day, he decided that his telephone was adding to the clutter on his desk so he began looking for ways to remedy the situation. Perhaps he could put the phone on the credenza behind his desk. On the other hand, that might be a problem if he was talking to someone about something he was currently working on.
And then it hit him … a great idea. Why not keep his telephone in his top desk drawer. It would be hidden when not in use, and yet it would be handy when he needed it.
Accordingly, George disconnected the phone and placed it in his top desk drawer. Then he ran the wire out the back of the drawer and under the desk to the phone jack. It was perfect. The phone was out of sight whenever it was not in use, and I think he had the neatest desk in the company.
Now, let me tell you about a lady who worked with George. Her name was Helen Scott, and she was kind of an assistant for him. I always liked Helen. She had a great sense of humor, and she combined it with a good work ethic. She got things done, and she usually had fun doing it.
I remember the first day Helen saw George’s phone in his desk drawer. The first thing she said was, “George, that’s a crazy idea.” George immediately countered with a full list of advantages of keeping his phone in the desk drawer, and he told her it was a great idea.
Helen said that if it were truly a great idea, then a lot of other people would be doing it, but he was the only person in the company who was keeping his phone in his desk drawer. And the disagreement continued.
A couple days later, Helen’s determination, coupled with her sense of humor, set her to work. She waited until George left his office for a meeting, and while he was gone, she removed his desk keys from his shallow center drawer and locked all the desk drawers.
Maybe an hour later, when George returned from his meeting, she used her own phone to call him. When his phone rang, he reached for his desk drawer, but he couldn’t open it. At first he thought it might be stuck, so he simply pulled on the handle harder and harder. Somehow it must have locked itself, so he reached for the shallow drawer where he kept the keys. But that drawer was also locked.
Oh man, the phone kept ringing. That might even be his boss, Jack Cantu, who was calling him. The phone wouldn’t stop ringing, and others in the office, who were in on the prank, complained to him, “Answer your phone, George.”
I remember when George realized that it had all been just a prank. I could see the relief on his face as he started laughing. I should add, however, that the whole experience didn’t change his habits one Iota.
Years later, George was still keeping his telephone in his top desk drawer. And it worked out really well. Of course, he also kept his desk keys in his pocket. I can’t blame him for that.
Those wishing to contact Bill Boyd can e-mail him at bill@davidwboyd.com