For the last 11 years I have reported to an IBM group in Raleigh, North Carolina, but my office is physically located in Endicott, New York. That's a good thing since Endicott is about 15 miles (22.5 kilometers) away from my home in Owego, New York while Raleigh is 600 miles (965 kilometers) away.
Endicott, New York is the birthplace of IBM. No other IBM location can match the IBM legacy and history that can be found in Endicott. In some ways it is like a place frozen in time. My office is in building 256. The hallways of building 256 are decorated with reproductions of old pictures of IBM Endicott. In the bottom left-hand corner above you'll see one such picture.
This picture shows 3 iconic IBM buildings in Endicott and proudly proclaims Endicott as the Birthplace of IBM. The lower of the 3 buildings shows an artist's depiction of the Endicott campus. The smaller concrete building is the IBM school house built in 1933 to train IBMers. The larger brick building was also built in 1933 and was the first IBM building constructed solely for use as a research laboratory. The bottom right-hand picture above is an aerial view of the Endicott site from around 1960. The newer building pictured in the middle of the bottom row is building 256, the building that houses my office.
The pictures in the top row were taken by me a few weeks ago. As you can see, things look pretty much as they did way back when, but looks can be deceptive. All good things must end. For a variety of reasons those older buildings are no longer occupied by IBM, but they serve as a reminder of IBM's roots in Endicott.
Also in the top row is a picture of an IBM logo that can be found on a number of IBM buildings on McKinley Street. That logo has personal significance to me. When I was a child my parents would load us in the car and drive up to the Endicott area to visit relatives. One day as we drove down McKinley Street I remember being in awe of the massive buildings and the walkways over McKinley Street that connected the buildings. I looked up at the logos on the buildings and told my parents that I'm going to work there some day. My parents chuckled and said something like, that's IBM. You have to be a scientist or an engineer to work there.
At the time the letters IBM meant nothing to me and I had quickly forgotten about the conversation. I worked for IBM Poughkeepsie for 18 months and never recalled the conversation. One day after transferring from IBM Poughkeepsie to IBM Endicott I drove down McKinley Street and saw the icon on the buildings. The sight of the icons made me recall the childhood conversation I had with my parents. It's funny how things work out sometimes.
Endicott, New York is the birthplace of IBM. No other IBM location can match the IBM legacy and history that can be found in Endicott. In some ways it is like a place frozen in time. My office is in building 256. The hallways of building 256 are decorated with reproductions of old pictures of IBM Endicott. In the bottom left-hand corner above you'll see one such picture.
This picture shows 3 iconic IBM buildings in Endicott and proudly proclaims Endicott as the Birthplace of IBM. The lower of the 3 buildings shows an artist's depiction of the Endicott campus. The smaller concrete building is the IBM school house built in 1933 to train IBMers. The larger brick building was also built in 1933 and was the first IBM building constructed solely for use as a research laboratory. The bottom right-hand picture above is an aerial view of the Endicott site from around 1960. The newer building pictured in the middle of the bottom row is building 256, the building that houses my office.
The pictures in the top row were taken by me a few weeks ago. As you can see, things look pretty much as they did way back when, but looks can be deceptive. All good things must end. For a variety of reasons those older buildings are no longer occupied by IBM, but they serve as a reminder of IBM's roots in Endicott.
Also in the top row is a picture of an IBM logo that can be found on a number of IBM buildings on McKinley Street. That logo has personal significance to me. When I was a child my parents would load us in the car and drive up to the Endicott area to visit relatives. One day as we drove down McKinley Street I remember being in awe of the massive buildings and the walkways over McKinley Street that connected the buildings. I looked up at the logos on the buildings and told my parents that I'm going to work there some day. My parents chuckled and said something like, that's IBM. You have to be a scientist or an engineer to work there.
At the time the letters IBM meant nothing to me and I had quickly forgotten about the conversation. I worked for IBM Poughkeepsie for 18 months and never recalled the conversation. One day after transferring from IBM Poughkeepsie to IBM Endicott I drove down McKinley Street and saw the icon on the buildings. The sight of the icons made me recall the childhood conversation I had with my parents. It's funny how things work out sometimes.