MJ-Way

… My new coworkers were glad to hear my story but still wondered why I chose to work here at the medical center. I had to explain what had happened in the factory and UPS. Also, how the chance encounter with a nursing student in the parking lot of a community college lead me here. When I mentioned her name they all smiled. She was well known at the medical center in a good way.

… She was known at the local high schools because she was a voice for the medical center’s Respiratory Therapy program where she would try to recruit students on career days to the medical center. She actually did that on her off days and the hospital administration held her in high regard because of it. My coworkers had heard she was now a Registered Nurse and told me I was lucky to run into her. I thought so too.

…Just as I was wrapping up the story, our supervisor appeared wanting two of us to make a run to the basement of the old civil war hospital, and bring up an old operating room table. Ernie was quick to volunteer himself and me. Our supervisor wanted it to be brought to the decontamination area where it would be cleaned. We would know it was the one he wanted because it had a green surgical sheet over it. Ernie looked really excited as our supervisor handed him the keys to the area. I couldn’t help noticing on a large ring of keys were Skelton keys. They looked very old. “Wait to you see this place,” my coworker grabbed a cart and we headed out.

…Ernie was really motivated as he pushed a cart through the Hospital Stores to a large double door to what looked to be the basement of the civil war hospital. This old hospital was connected to the Hudson Building. I would find out much later that all the buildings in the Detroit Medical Center were interconnected. I was amazed by the size of the doors and how he knew what key to use, and the ease he used them. He did this before I thought. When he swung the doors open I could not believe what I was looking at.

…This was a surgical amphitheater. I felt an eeriness but also an overwhelming sense of complete awe. Every isle was filled from the very top of this auditorium to the surgical theater floor with medical equipment. Ernie was completely ecstatic. He was quick to point out that his parents wanted him to go to Medical School but this to him is where the 21st century medicine will be headed. He’s going to study bio- engineering, and he wants to develop the technology that will advance the field of medicine significantly. He informed me that he had arranged all of this equipment with the oldest equipment being stored in the top isles of the auditorium and then digressing in age as you worked your way to the bottom.

…The operating room tables were stored on the floor of the surgical theater. The one our boss wanted, like he said, was covered in a green surgical sheet. Ernie smiled when he saw it. He informed me that this one is a museum piece. It was made by a company named Harvard and Ernie informed me it was manufactured in Ohio in the 1880’s. It was made of Iron, wood and leather. The craftsmanship was amazing. It had stainless steal gears, handles, and wheels, that could maneuver the table in any direction or angled degree. The leather padded cushions looked brand new. It looked like it had never been used.

… This was going to a museum in Ohio. It was in extremely good condition for its age. Ernie continued to inspect it, and while he did that I looked at all the equipment that was being stored here. It had to represent at least a century, but better yet, Ernie was the one who kept track of all it. He said once a year they would scrap some of it, and the good pieces would be held. I could understand his fascination. We loaded the table onto the cart heading back to where it would be decontaminated. >>>My Life’s Journey>>>TO BE CONTINUED>>>> Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23

… It was an enjoyable whirlwind. That would best describe my last two years of high school. I asked my coworkers if I should continue with this story and they all shook their heads yes. I informed them that one of my friends was working at a Coney Island owned by the Keros family. They also ran the Coney Island on Lafyette Street in Detroit. He was able to get me a job there in the fall of my junior year, and I returned the favor when my Vocational Teacher in my senior year of high school enrolled me in a coop program working for the Strelinger Corporation after school. I put in a good word for him and they hired him. They started him working the sales desk. The jobs were only part-time but they paid way better then the Coney Island. It gave us money to fix our cars and drive them.

… I completed all my requirements to graduate in my junior year and could choose classes I was interested in my senior year. I chose two vocational classes and loved them both. The classes had all the newest technology and I learned quite a bit. The first class was Graphic Arts and it met for one hour and a half. We printed the school paper and all the emblems the school used at its many functions. I learned how to set up printing plates for the large Heidelberg press which then in turn would print the papers. I learned to silk screen and run the smaller presses as well. We used cameras to take pictures and burn the images onto plates used to print. It was a sophisticated process and our Instructor was awesome.

… The second class was an Industrial Metal Shop class and there I learned much about metallurgy. I was taught to weld which included: Arc Welding, Tig and Mig Welding, Gas Welding, and using Gas Iron Cutting Blow Torches. We also used the new metal lathes to make cutting tools for machining. I learned to read a micrometer and how it was to be applied for the correct thickness of cutting. The metal lathes were more like milling machines but much more sophisticated. I enjoyed this class immensely. It was all hands on. My Instructor was also my co-op Teacher and I would tell him how my work at Strelingers was going. I had to tell him that once the union people were gone for the day they would have me drive their brand new GM El-Camino to deliver parts to some rather large corporations. He smiled.

… I really enjoyed that but some of the companies I delivered to took a long time to get somebody to sign for the package I was delivering. They would want me to just drop it off but Strelingers was insistent that I not drop a package off without getting a signed receipt. I had to go toe to toe with a guy that looked like he was hopped up on drugs and booze and wanted me to just drop it off. I had informed him I couldn’t do that and he needed to sign for it. He told me to go to hell and I informed him that was no problem. I’ll just take the package back where it came from. He blew a gasket but by then a supervisor came over to me and signed for it. There were quite a few places like this I delivered to and I wondered how the work got done if the employees were stoned-high, usually alcohol, narcotics, or both.

..My Instructor told me to be careful and always ask for the supervisor. He would speak with the Strelingers Co-Op contact about me, and what I was experiencing. He informed me they really liked me and hoped I would stay with them after I graduated. Speaking of graduation: We became the first class of Sterling Heights High School to graduate in June of 1973. I couldn’t believe it went so fast, but I had plans to continue my education, and watched what my older brother had accomplished while I finished up in High School. He would be the beacon I would follow. I felt he always gave me great advice. He was completing his Associates Degree in Liberal Arts at Macomb Community College, while working, and was transferring to Oakland University to complete his Bachelor of Arts Degree. I thought that was awesome. My parents did too. …. My Life’s Journey To Be Continued…. …………………………..1 CORINITHIANS 12:12-20

…I got to pick my classes and I wanted to make sure that all the required classes I needed for graduation were taken in my junior year. The only class I couldn’t take was a Government Civics class which had to be taken in the senior year. I was pumped and looking forward to going to my new high school. I could have taken the school bus but I wanted to walk. It wasn’t that far from my house, maybe a mile or two. I remember the impression it gave me seeing it for the first time coming out of a field with the morning dew on my boots. It looked like a castle I thought sitting behind the Edison Power Line Towers. The Edison Corridor stretched for miles both north and south in front of it. The sun rising out of the east reflected off of the facade making it look like a metal and gold brick fortification. I was impressed.

… I would be the first graduating class from this new high school. Excited, I began walking faster as buses of students were unloading in the front entrance which was clearly marked in large white letters on Gold Brick , STERLING HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL. The WCS emblem in a blue circle was next to it.( Warren Consolidated Schools) I was walking towards the entrance when I saw a young man with long blond hair and a coffee can standing behind one of the buses. Students were running up to him and looked to be giving him money. He would pass them something out of the coffee can once they gave him their money. My first reaction was he’s dealing drugs and now I had to find out. I walked up to him and questioned what types of drugs was he selling? His answer, “red devils man, you ain’t a NARC(narcotic undercover police) are you?” I shook my head no but I told him I don’t have to be.

…I explained to him the minute those kids you sold the barbiturates to start passing out and throwing up, your name will be well known by the administration here, and it well could be the “Pusher Man.” He told me to go F myself. “We shall soon see,” I said with a smile. I wasn’t even in the door of the school and some young woman was throwing up while her friend held her hair. The buses pulled away and she was now pointing at the guy with the coffee can. He looked like a deer in the headlights of a car not hidden by the busses any longer. A teacher was in quick pursuit. I didn’t stick around for the excitement and made it quickly to my new Drafting Class. My classroom was brand new and it actually had large windows. It had that new car smell too! Our teacher said to sit where ever we wanted and I made sure to sit by one of the windows. Perfect for the natural light to illuminate my drafting table, and for me to see what was happening outside. I was liking this new school already.

… Ambulances started pulling into our driveway and I felt sorry for the kids who ingested the “Reds.” Not a good way to remember your first day of class in a brand new school. The police were at the school as well and I could only imagine what was happening to the “Pusher Man.” I ran into some of my friends between classes, and they asked me had I heard what had happened? It seemed they had kids passing out in their classes. I let them know I saw an idiot selling Red Devils, and tried to convince him it was a bad Idea but after he was assured I wasn’t a NARC he told me off. I watched one of the teachers run after him when someone pointed him out. I saw police cars pulling into the driveway from my classroom so I believe they must have him. My friends were amazed that I had windows in my classroom. Apparently, they didn’t have any in the classrooms on the second level. … My Life’s Journey To Be Continued….. Proverbs 3:1-12

…I believed I was monopolizing the conversation. I wanted to know where my new coworkers were from, and what schools they attended. Two were brother and sister who grew up in the Brewster Douglas Projects across from the medical center. They were both graduates of Cass Technical High School, and premed majors at Wayne State University. They were quick to point out that Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, and Lily Tomlin all grew up in the Brewster’s. They seemed very proud of that. I informed them I had seen Stevie Wonder in concert at the Olympia with his Wonder Love Band and it was an amazing concert in 1974. I paid 14 dollars for two tickets, and my date thought I was the greatest taking her to see “Stevie.” He was one of her favorite musicians.

…My friends smiled and then Ernie spoke up informing me that he had graduated from Cass Technical High School as well. He was from Southfield, but his parents worked with the Medical Center and University. He was enrolled and graduated from Cass Tech. They wanted him to get a good education and thought it to be a better school than the High School in Southfield. He enjoyed it. He was elected to the student council, and played on their football team. He was also enrolled at Wayne State University, and was hoping to get into their Law School after completing his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. He was admitted to Wayne State University on an academic scholarship. His parents had hoped for him to go into premed but he was more interested in the business world.

…My other coworker was nicknamed “wild George” and he was definitely an anomaly. He graduated from Detroit Catholic Central High School. His personality preceded him. He was overly enjoying working at the medical center and pulled pranks on everyone he came in contact with. Our supervisor was constantly correcting his behavior. “Wild George” always promised to be better. One day I saw him wearing a gorilla mask and white hoodie taking supplies to one of the nursing units. He rode one of the robot elevators, which we were not allowed to do, and scared the hell out of one of the nurses. He exited the elevator undetected. He then turned around, handing her the supplies the unit requested, and after seeing him she screamed. The nursing supervisor happened to be at that unit and “wild George” was quickly reprimanded. Our supervisor put “Wild George” on notice. He was going to be assigned to the decontamination room were he would have little access to other hospital staff.

… I got to know him pretty well, and he was definitely an extrovert. He held parties at his house in Pole Town and many of the hospitals students would gather there on weekends. He loved that house and did everything in his power to make sure he had one of the best stereo systems in it. I was told he picked up the house real cheap and for a young man in his early twenties the pride of ownership showed. I was glad for him. He seemed to have a lot on the ball. He was also enrolled at Wayne State University on a scholarship in Chemistry. I was shocked when he came in one day pretty upset. He announced that the city tore his house down by mistake. His beautiful stereo system was buried and crushed by the ruble. Everything he owned was buried in the debris. It took him another three months to sort out how the city was going to compensate him. The medical center put him up in the medical apartments and I thought that was real nice of them to do that. They liked him.

…Finally, John and Emma, both from the Brewster Projects were not following the scholastic world. They were graduates of Murray-Wright High School and both liked the party life style. John liked listening to Richard Pryor and would often quote his jokes. He gave away the punch line by laughing before he delivered it. The one joke I remember to this day was the famous, “That Boy Could Lie.” I repeat it only for posterity: Two men stopped to urinate over the side of a bridge crossing a river. The one man said to the other, ” that water is cold,” the other man shook his head yes and said out loud to his friend, “and it’s deep too!” I remember it only because I had heard later in my career that John was killed in a gang shoot out. It was a shock to me. He seemed to be fun loving and humorous. Emma stayed with the hospital and worked as a supply coordinator. She loved working there. I understood that. They made us feel wanted and valuable. John 20

>>>My Life’s Journey To Be Continued>>>>

…The first Junior High School I attended was Hartsig Junior High and I hated it. The kids were spoiled brats, and they acted terrible towards anyone not from their group. I was from Detroit and that didn’t sit well with them. They were from the new neighborhoods that surrounded the General Motors Technological Campus, they acted, and dressed like pompous preppies. I took classes that kept me with the nerds and I enjoyed that. I was lucky I didn’t have that much interaction with them. I was in seventh grade now and this was all a new experience. There were only about twelve other people on our school bus, and because of the distance, about 5 miles, we were always the last to be dropped off after school. I was glad towards the end of the year when I was told we would be going to Melby Junior high school. This school was much closer to our house, and the kids ended up being a whole lot nicer.

…I made friends quickly at Melby Junior High School, and I enjoyed it. I played on the basketball and football teams but was injured in football. That ended my athletic career there. I still followed the teams, but any extra curricula activity I would have to walk home, and that was at least 5 miles. I still enjoyed the camaraderie here and I always felt welcomed. I was thrown another curve ball as I graduated from ninth grade. I was told instead of going to Cousino High School with my class, about a dozen of us who lived west of the Junior High School would be traveling to Mott High School where we would attend for one year until they built the new Sterling Heights High School. I wasn’t happy about that but had no say in the matter. We would be the Charter Class of the new high school.

…Once again I was being bussed to the other side of the city to start high school. This was not going to be fun at all. I didn’t know anyone in my classes, and the classes I picked I didn’t get them. I had to go to the councilors office to find out why? They ended up fixing my schedule but it gave me two math classes and a wood shop class I didn’t want. When I pointed that out to my councilor he looked annoyed, but realized I needed a history class which wasn’t on my schedule. So I was then put in a history class and one of my math classes was dropped. It took me a week to get my schedule correct. I made the mistake of stopping in the restroom to use the facilities but getting to a urinal was blocked by students smoking. I was finally able to use a urinal and at the same time a look out came in and informed the smokers a teacher was on his way in.

…Cigarettes were flying everywhere as the smokers fled single file out of the restroom. I was finishing up and the next thing I see is a teacher in my face wanting to know was I smoking? I had to let him know I just needed to take a piss but going to this school might make me a smoker for sure. I made a note not to go to the restroom between classes. I thought my new friends would be bored by now listening to my story but they seemed even more interested. Back at my new high school the day just seemed to get worse. Fights were breaking out between students and I couldn’t understand why. Then one of the students in my science class informed me that the greasers, who wore black leather jackets, Cuban heel shoes, slicked their hair back, hated the hippies, and these hippies they were picking on, weren’t the peace loving kind. Fights between these two groups broke out on a regular basis. …MY LIFE’S JOURNEY CONTINUED… ACTS 10:38 … MATTHEW 4:23-25

…My new friends wanted to know all about me and for the first time I realized I hadn’t ever really talked about myself in detail. They wanted to know where I grew up, where was my family, what schools I went to, what music did I like, and why I decided to work here? I started where I grew up because that was easier. Pole Town. The neighborhoods that surrounded these churches because the architecture is so unique some of them still stand today: St. Albertus, Sweetest Heart of Mary, St. Hyacinth, St. Josaphat, and Immaculate Conception. Only the later being torn down for the General Motors, Pole Town Detroit- Hamtramck Assembly Plant. It is now called Factory Zero. That neighborhood was annexed by the city for the General Motors Plant under its’ power of “Eminent Domain.”

…I remember my great-grandmothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, great aunts, great uncles, aunts, uncles all my first and second cousins being together in most of those churches. We celebrated graduations, weddings, and sadly funerals. I informed them of my families most recent funeral of my Grand Father who fought in WWI for the American side and who also migrated to Detroit as a young man from Poland. We walked down Trombley street with his casket as the church bells of Immaculate Conception Church were tolling. His service was held there. His grandsons walked his casket into the church, after carrying it up at least a dozen steps, set it upon a wheeled aluminum bier, and wheeled it into the sanctuary where the Roman Catholic last rites service was performed. He was buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Detroit.

…My new friends were most curious, and asked even more questions. They were familiar with the neighborhoods having grown up in the immediate area, some even attending the schools my cousins and second cousins attended. They wanted to know what schools did I attend? I explained my family lived on the east side of the city and I attended a Catholic School, Saint Basil the Great through the fifth grade. My parents then bought a lot to build a home in Sterling Township which was primarily farms and fields. My mother who grew up in Detroit and graduated from North Eastern Highschool had a friend whose farm she played on in her youth. It was not far from the property her and my father bought to build what would become our new home. I went to schools in the Warren Consolidated School District, two junior high schools and two high schools because of our new location in Sterling Township. …..My Life’s Journey To Be Continued…. Joshua 1:1-9

…I thanked God every time I went to work. I felt I was really welcomed here. This is my home. I am working with people who are all doing the same thing I am doing, and loving it. This hospital was a large 1000 bed teaching facility spread over a number of buildings that were attached at every floor. You could easily walk a mile to get from one end of the complex to the other. Through the years of mergers and acquisitions the hospital system would grow even more massive, and I would get the chance to be part of that expansion. I literally grew up here, and the memories all good. I was born here and later, so would my children. My life’s journey for fourteen years would evolve with the Detroit Medical Center’s expansion.

…I have written other vignettes on my hospital experience as a break from writing the prison chronicles. They were: “From The Beginning,” “The Rookie,” and “Minor Leagues.” I will try not to repeat the experience from those stories but they do represent benchmarks in my growth as a young man at the Detroit Medical Center. The most fascinating thing I felt at this time in my life was the endless possibilities of working here. I could choose anything in the medical field or management to pursue my career. I chose classes that would complete my associates degree but also give me a heads up if I chose to go into the medical field. Even better, I had time to do homework at work as well. It was encouraged as long as my work had been completed. They paid my tuition, and wanted me to be successful.

…I was able to complete mathematics, chemistry, biology, and anatomy by the winter of 1976, two credits shy of meeting the degree requirements. Of all things, I needed to complete a Humanities class. I would do so in the fall of 1977. I didn’t need to rush now. I was enjoying my new job, meeting people, and deciding a career path. I had met a number of employees who had graduated form Detroit’s Cass Technical Highschool, and I found them to be amazing people. They were just as curious of me and wanted to know what prompted me to want to work here. I explained that it was just a coincidence, or spiritual guidance, I believed the latter, I helped a woman with a flat tire. She started asking me questions while I changed it, I felt like she was interviewing me, and she told me all about the Detroit Medical Center. ..My Life’s Journey To Be Continued.. Chronicles 16:8-14

…Before I punched out for the day, my last day of work with UPS, my boss made one last attempt to keep me employed with UPS, but I couldn’t accept his offer. He didn’t understand my reasoning. I was motivated to complete my degree requirements, and I found an employer who wants to help me do just that. He believed that the money alone should have motivated me to stay with UPS. I informed him that I did enjoy working here in the beginning. We were all on the same page. The five hour days were perfect for fulltime classes at the college but after the work load was reorganized, the five hour days went to the way side. We were told not to leave until all the trucks were unloaded and loaded. I was lucky to get through my last two weeks of classes. He seemed to understand, and wished me the best, saying “we will definitely miss you.” I thanked him for giving me the chance to work here, and this was my formal goodbye. He acknowledged it.

… So in May of 1975, a month before my twentieth birthday, I accepted employment with Harper Hospital and began a life journey that I believe was divinely inspired. I would learn a great deal about my self, people in general, science, and God. The 15 years I would be employed by them were my learning years. The education I received working at the Detroit Medical Center went beyond the lecture halls I attended at the University. I was a continued work in progress and I really appreciated those who helped mold my growth. Gwendolyn would be the first mentor I had working at the DMC, but there would be more. When I spoke with the personnel manager she wanted me to report to her office to fill out all the necessary forms. She would be responsible for my orientation to the medical center.

… I would be assigned to the afternoon shift in the Central Supply Department. They would train me for sterilizing and distribution of medical equipment. This included the following: Operating room surgical instruments. Supplies to the Nursing Units. STAT runs to any area of the hospital where supplies or equipment were needed immediately. Collection of equipment when maintenance was required. She would introduce me to my supervisor and he would get me started in the department. It was a great feeling knowing I would be working here and I was excited.

…My supervisor also knew Gwendolyn and she spoke highly of me. He informed me of that when I began working. He believed she had an incredible knack for reading people both good and bad. I had scored high on the good side. I thought to myself, man all I did was change her tire, but I didn’t let him know that. She was well respected here and people valued her input. I could tell that for sure. I was either just lucky or God made sure I would run into her that day. In any event, I was on a new life journey and I would make sure to thank her when I see her again. Praise be to God. … My Life’s Journey To Be Continued…. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

…Pole town, on Detroit’s east side, was a real place for me growing up as a young child. I had fond memories of the relatives who loved me. They would tell me so in both the Polish and English languages trying to tickle me as I ran from their grasp. I remember the markets, the clothing stores, the weddings, the celebrated holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and sadly, the funerals. I remember the churches as well. St. Stanislaw, St. Albertus, St. Hyacinth, Immaculate Conception, St. Josaphat, Sweetest Heart of Mary, St. Cyril, Resurrection, St. Bartholomew, and St. Rita were all East Side Detroit Roman Catholic Parishes I had been in at one time or the other for mass.

… I had a decision to make about my future. My heritage and identity came from all those churches and neighborhoods located close to the medical center. I was even born in one of the Detroit Medical Center’s Hospitals, Women’s Hospital, now called Hutzel Hospital. I felt a real connection. and the need to return. However, I would now have to leave UPS for good. Permanent goodbyes were not always easy for me, but I knew I had to move on. I had interviewed in the morning at Harper Hospital, and tonight I might be saying goodbye to my friends at UPS. I made sure to get a goods day sleep before returning to UPS to what possibly would be my last week working the night shift there.

… I pulled in the UPS parking lot to report to work. Sam had pulled up next to me as well. I had informed him of my interview with Harper Hospital but I hadn’t had the chance to tell him how it went. He was all ears. I told him they offered me two different positions and that I would have to choose one. He was happy for me and thought the bosses would go nuts. I was the last part-time worker still working there out of the twenty they had hired. He was absolutely correct as usual. I had informed my supervisor after clocking in that this would be my last week working here. He gave me a blank stare, like a deer in the headlights of a car, and then he said, “what did you say?” The following expression I would enjoy using at least four more times in my life: “I will no longer be working here because I have accepted other employment.” He shook his head yes, “that’s what I thought you said.”

. ..He looked bewildered but left. Sam was standing next to me and thought our boss was in shock. He didn’t tell me where to start working, and Sam told me just start unloading trailers with him. He continued, “if they need you they’ll find you.” I thought that was a good plan and followed Sam to the dock where we began unloading the trailers. It didn’t take long for the boss to find me but this time he was with a guy dressed in a black Brooks Brother’s pinstripe suit. He had on a white monogrammed cuffed shirt, red silk tie. and plain black but shiny Oxford shoes. Sam would later identify him as the Chief Executive Officer. He wanted to speak with me, I wiped my brow from sweat, I climbed out of the trailer, and stood in front of him. I knew from the look on his face I wasn’t smelling as good as his cologne, and he looked perplexed.

…He wanted to know why I was leaving. I didn’t waste his time and informed him I had a better opportunity. I felt the UPS reorganization of the work load had prevented me from enrolling in the winter semester. I was being required to stay more than five hours a day. I didn’t sign up for that. I needed that work schedule to stay the same, and it didn’t. He realized I was dead serious. I explained the promises about bonuses and pay raises never really made a difference to me. It was the work schedule I needed for school. They couldn’t or wouldn’t make that happen for me. I didn’t give him any more information than that. I could have gone on about the stress, the other part time students leaving, but I was sure he knew all of that. He thanked me for my honesty, and left with my boss. I had a phone call to make today and I felt reenergized. ……My Life’s Journey…To Be Continued… Psalm 23

..My interview was really unique. It was held in a Victorian house behind Harper Hospital’s Civil War Hospital which was truly authentic, and still being used. The home I was in was used by the surgeons whose demand was facilitated by the soldiers returning from the war needing amputations. Many soldiers did not survive the trip back to the hospital. Those that did, would still need to recover from the loss of blood, and their appendages needing to be removed. Infection and gangrene would be the leading cause of death. I was told all this by the Facility Administrator who sat across from me at a round table. The Administrator for the Central Processing Supply Department filled me in on what it took to support the surgeries then, and how they were currently using robotic cars to supply the hospital now.

..The Personnel manager introduced herself, and asked the administrators to leave thanking them for their input. She could tell I looked confused, and she informed me they had hoped I would become very interested in working here. Everyone at the medical center thought highly of Gwendolyn and I had her endorsement. Wow, how fortunate for me. The manager began to tell me about the opportunities they had at the hospital and how their plans to expand and become a major provider of health care was at the top of their list. She was inviting me to come and experience all that I could become working here. They provided their employees good benefits, which included tuition reimbursement, and a flexible work schedule. The salary was only half of what I was making at UPS, but the opportunity to advance a career was taking precedent in my current thought process.

..She saw that I only needed four more classes to obtain my associate’s degree, and would need to make plans for what university I would be attending to obtain a bachelor’s degree. She smiled and said, “you are going to continue aren’t you?” I had informed her I planned on continuing but I hadn’t picked the university. She laughed, and said,” honey you are only nineteen years old. You’ll have plenty of time to figure that out.” She pointed out that working in this teaching hospital will definitely widen my choices.

… There were two schools of Nursing here, and the Detroit Medical Center was affiliated with Wayne State University’s School of Medicine. In addition. the hospital offered full tuition reimbursement on all classes passed towards a degree requirement. She left it up to me to decide which department I wanted to start working in, and also informed me to let her know by the end of the week. If I was still interested? I let her know I was very interested and would call her by the end of the week. I thanked her for her time and the opportunity. She smiled and wished me well as we parted. >>>My Life’s Journey To Be Continued<<<<<<