PEOPLE

The world is full of people. There is some person who will be of long term and decisive importance in your life - he/she may be a person of place or power, teacher or relative, but, in any case - a friend. With all of the pressures of past and present, you may be sure that the past, over which you had no control, will be one of the deciding factors. In spite of the diverse forces, you are responsible for the quality and character of your own days. Just as this is true for you, it was true for C. Allen, when he came north to start a career. Now I shall write some of the tales which I recall about some of the people who influenced C. Allen's life, mine, and indirectly, you who are the family members.

Timing and place are always important factors. C. Allen was born so late in the centuries that his Harlan forebears had already established a good reputation, taken their chances in the new world, been through the problems of family growth; some of them had reached the point that the struggle for a livelihood was the greatest problem that they had. His past had given him the genes, the intellect, and the drive which would lift him to meet the challenge and to accept the opportunities which Detroit offered in the late twenties and early thirties of the nineteen hundreds, the chance to prove himself - no questions asked, and no quarter given for the city was filled with hopefuls.

Possibly the remark of that un-named man, who stood near C. Allen in the employment line at the Dodge plant in Detroit, was a most fortunate happenstance: 'hiring electricians today'. His greatest need then was money to continue his college education. That chance remark set him upon the track that led to a career. Electricity was as new then as computers and space travel are today. C. Allen came into the early years of a relatively new and growing industry. He was partially prepared; he had limited knowledge coupled with the determination to succeed. Detroit was one place that would accept a determined young man. It was a city accustomed to accepting migrants from many parts of the home nation, from many parts of the world, to allowing them room and time to prove their capabilities. When the individual succeeded, both the city and the individual benefited. It was a city of 'self-made' men.

He began at a Dodge plant, went on to Turner Engineering. Some of the men with whom he worked at Turner's stayed with him when he formed Harlan Electric - Ed Gudum (Swedish), Irwin MacNeil (his name speaks for his origins) and, later, Ernest Wallis (English). Somewhere working, he met David Murray, who introduced him to Emmett Eagan. Van Grant and Atwood Austin brought with them Ozwald Knopf. There is always a connecting link, beside time and place, between the people whom you know, some acquaintance, some shared goal. These were all the men essential to the formation of Harlan Electric Company.

While working at Turner Electric, C. Allen had established a reputation for being honest, sincere, and reliable; those were characteristics for which I often heard him praised; those were the characteristics which drew others to work with him; those were the characteristics with which his dreams were shaped. That reputation persuaded Arthur Seaman, head of the Detroit News press installation, to arrange for H.E.C. to bill early for work soon to be finished. He relied upon C. Allen's word that the work would be finished. Was Seaman playing Russian Roulette with the News money? That early payment made it possible for one payroll to be met, the job to be finished as promised. That early payment from the Detroit News meant survival at that time for HEC.

Emmett Eagan had just graduated from the U. of M. law school. He had been hired by the firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone which hiring was an indication of his potential. He became the company lawyer and he is still serving H.E.C. well. He became the family friend. Many times he rescued C. Allen from some folly for a good lawyer protects his client from that damaging combination of good intentions and half-knowledge. In time we came to know the family. There were times when I was certain that all Emmett and Virginia (Mrs. Eagan) saw of one another was as they passed on the home stair - one coming from an important meeting, the other on the way to a meeting of a non-profit. Emmett, yearly, sold Girl Scout cookies; his clients bought Her non-profit activity was pleased. His company opened doors to him which he opened for C. Allen. In today's more complex world, I still rely upon the protection and direction of Emmett.

Van and Millie Grant were special people. Van was an investment banker with knowledge and skills related to forming and directing young firms. This was an area which C. Allen did not know. Van was involved in the beginnings of Motorola, Cub aeroplanes, and the Shakespeare (fishing tackle) organization. There were otheryoung firms which Van set upon the road to success. Why not H.E.C.? Even the knowledgeable are subject to enthusiasms. Van came one time with the tale of a potential investment in uranium mining. The contagion spread. Emmett, C. Allen, Atwood - all invested - and all lost. But what is one loss when the future looks so bright? That Green Fire burned very low before it finally went out. Van had been well educated. Part of his studies were at the Julliard School for Music in New York. He would never permit any of his children to study music for, in those days, the incomes from a musical career were very small. In fact it scarcely supplied the essential bread. Part of my education was watching Petrillo, in Chicago, fight Professor Madden, thenhead of the U.M. School of Music. (According to campus students, Madden was admiral of the Swiss Navy). Madden, who was organizing Interlochen, needed freedom for his students to perform before a live audience. Petrillo and his union wanted an equal number of paid stand-by musicians present at every concert. I think that they both won for the musicians' union is strong now and the students of Interlochen present their concerts without stand-bys. (That is an interesting bit of information, very much beside the point. It is a part of Van's contribution to our lives.) Van and Millie lived for a while in Birmingham with their family of six children. One son was named 'Land'; they threatened to name a daughter 'Emma'. Fortunately they never did. One time we oldsters were off to a wedding at Christ Church; the children were left at the cottage with Mattie. Now, although the presence of water worried many people, I was never concerned. It was not my children who fell in. They might go 'laking' with clothes and shoes on. Such immersions were never accidental. We returned from the wedding to find Mattie chuckling. Young Land had fallen into the lake. Since he did not have another suit of clothes at the cottage, Mattie had dried him off and dressed him in some of Cam's clothes. Campbell watched the process and then remarked: 'I have a shirt just like that.' No hassle; just an observation.

Atwood Austin had a great future growing for himself. Atwood's field was finance and business management: the hard practical bits of 'you do it thus and so'. HEC was only a fraction of Woody's life. He had political connections which involved him during WWII years with the representatives of the Republic of China. Finally he went to California to become treasurer for all of the Kaiser businesses which was a growing responsibility as the Kaiser domain expanded. Woody was married Mary McEvoy. They had a son and two daughters. Son, John, on his way to university, tried selling pots and pans. The children of the well-to-do had to earn their education just as did the sons and daughters of poorer families. John sold. C. Allen bought. Joyce would complain about the quality of the pans. That was long before these days of miracle metals. We have visited the Austins in their California home. That was a beautiful place. Woody said that for years anytime he opened a magazine he would find in it a picture of the wind-swept pines that were between his house and the ocean. Good people, both of them. Mary is gone now and Woody is remarried. For years their Christmas cards were a record of the family growth. The Williams are the only other people who follow that custom. Politicians did follow that practice, but, after C. Allen's death, only the Williams continue the yearly gift of family pictures.

Ozwald Knopf was the one amongst the others who stayed with C. Allen until the company had spread out into other areas and became successful. Ozzie had his own personal problems. He had married and was very much in love. Millie died, young, of cancer. It was then that Oz's life began to fall apart. With no family to establish direction for him, living alone for a man can be difficult. Oz continued his dedicated work for HEC during the weeks and sought escape during the weekends. C. Allen sent him off to survey the several scattered offices and check their moneys. When Oz did not fulfill the job assigned. C. Allen began to complain to me. I began questioning, looking for the reason. C. Allen was upset for I 'was always against him.' The last time that I saw Oz was in old Grace Hospital; he showed me his radium burnt shoulder. The doctors thought that they were fighting lung cancer. Too often C. Allen reacted sharply to a situation and then regretted.

These were the men who helped C. Allen get started. We have much for which to thank them for they each gave of their special skills and knowledge. It took them all to make a rounded whole, to give C. Allen the skills, the self-confidence, and the knowledge on which to build our lives.

Then there were the men of the unions who did construction work. They admired and respected their boss. He picked up their speech habits, insisted upon using them and drove me wild with frustra-tion as I drove him wild with corrections. I would correct - he would insist. Time won for speech styles change and he and the workmen found new useless phrases to use and to discard. Many of them had been American for only a short while. Detroit was and is a wonderful mixture of people. There was one Italian whom Allen insisted upon calling 'wop' - "fine, but it will be 'Sir Wop'."So it was always. The fact that the men liked working for HEC made things run more smoothly - they liked the management. To be sure when C. Allen gave control of HEC to John, even though they had worked with John and they liked the young man, (he had gone through the union's period of training), it was sport and fun to brush a little dirt from a joist unto his white shirt. I suppose that a little deviltry makes the job seem lighter.

C. Allen and John were one father/son team. There were many such teams. Fred Snow came to serve as supervisor. His only son, Alfred, worked at estimating in the office. The Wurms, father, son, and grandson kept the rolling stock rolling. They were wizards with machines. They even helped me when machines at 3535 could do no more - especially the pump at the spring house which did not function on the coldest day of winter - or a neighbor child had worked his way in and pulled a plug! There was the Krahl family - father and three sons. It was they who wired 3535 as it was being built. It was they who tried to do everything to please me. I had outlets under library shelves, in the kitchen cabinets. Finally Lewis, after I had pointed out the lack of outlets where parlor table lamps would be, robbed power from the lights in the ceiling below and installed three floor outlets in the parlor for me. It was they who bought and hung the kitchen clock and door chimes - their gift to the new home. Young Allen tells me that today there are many second-generation men working with the Company. Nepotism? Seems to work well.

Changing jobs would mean that some of the men were laid off for a while. The next job that came meant that a look at the union lists would determine which old workers were available to be rehired for the new contract. C. Allen had a deep knowledgeable base on which to build: he knew his men. He was often invited to their affairs and I went along.

The office staff came and went. Some of them served for years. Ozzie Knopf kept the books. I recall stopping by the old office one day to find Oz worrying about thirty-five cents for which he could not account; to me it was toss thirty-five cents in or take it out. What would be the difference? The figures would balance? Not for Oz; his figures had to be in proper balance. C. Allen's use of his checkbook always was lax - he never kept a stub - he never knew what was in or what was out. Manufacturer's Bank would call Oz: 'C. Allen is overdrawn'; off Oz would go to settle the problem. Mewhart, V.P. of Manufacturer's Bank, chuckled with Oz and with C. Allen about that. Banks, just as Oz tried to do, must keep their records straight. To be sure that all happened eons ago. Bankers knew their customers when both were young and growing. (It was always fun to compare notes. Mewhart's daughter taught fourth grade at Birmingham's Adams school - Joe was in her class. Patricia was born and Joe announced to his class that he was 'Uncle Joe'. Miss Mewhart reported to Mr. Mewhart who reported to Mr. Harlan. Then the word came home. Everyone enjoyed that chuckle.) Do you recall who really was 'Uncle Joe'?

Carl Schuman was a purchasing agent hated by the people with whom he bargained prices. HEC thought that the man did an excellent job. It all depends upon your point of view. The estimating staff varied from time to time. Most often their work was right to the cent. There were mistakes but the maker of any mistake got his chance to correct the problem. Some of the staff decided that, if C. Allen could, so could they. Then they took a swing at being entrepreneurs. They never succeeded. Thanks again to Oz, Atwood and Van. It was they who had the knowledge needed to fill out that lacking in C. Allen's expertise and to help form the basis of a successful firm.

Miss Cook ruled the secretarial world. She is the one whom I remember. It was she who kept C. Allen's life organized and on time - at least as much as one woman could. There had been a secretary who was prone to carry tales. That was forbidden. Helen Cook came into the office to stay until C. Allen, himself, left. It was she who would type up the three by fives with a listing of all of the day's meetings. Those cards went into his pocket and, ten to one, were forgotten. It was she who would call me in the morning to ask: 'Which way did he go.' I found out later where he went for C. Allen could never keep a secret, especially when it had unintentionally become a secret - he liked to talk.

C. Allen occasionally hired unusual people for unusual purposes. We were introduced to a Pahlevi. Two of that man's nephews had been students at Cr