“Who is Jim Brown?” Kelly asked while she was doing homework at the kitchen table. She was working on topographical maps. She needed to create a diagonal line across the middle of the island she had drawn to create a profile.

“Do you mean James Brown?” I asked, thinking she meant the singer.

“No, Jim Brown,” she said. “It is carved in this metal ruler.”

I looked at the ruler, and realized it was the ruler that was in the desk drawer when I started at Harland in 1987. Jim Brown had left the company, creating a vacancy that I filled. It wasn’t really Jim Brown’s ruler, but rather Harland’s ruler that Jim Brown used. In one of my office moves, the metal ruler ended up at home. We don’t use rulers anymore, since most design occurs on a screen. And we never draw topographical maps with pencil and graph paper. I’m sure Kelly will never have a job that requires her to do that, but at least she will understand the concept. And Jim Brown’s ruler helped.

Thanks Jim (whom I never met), wherever you are….

Oh… I also ran into ex-Harlander and leader Earl Rogers at work today, which triggered a whole set of memories. Earl was very influential in my career. Also ran into still-Harlander Ralph Crane… who also ran into Earl. Something of a nostalgia day at Harland.