March 19, 1979…Our Lucky Day

Caroline BennittAround Atec

Vernon Grew RetirementVernon Grew is retiring from Atec today after 34 years. Wow! Congratulations Vernon! 
I think Vernon’s importance to our company is best described by the poem below, written by our President, Paul Fenley:
Back in 1979 Vernon Grew accepted a position,
And may ‘til this day ponder that decision.
But 34 years and 11 days later,
We can honestly say because of that decision,
We have all been the better.Whether as a technician and lead, or packing and shipping,
Or inspector, auditor and maker of decisions,
As a teammate, and friend, with blood, sweat & tears,
He has weathered a lot in his 34 years.From testing downhole tools, to cooking pressure test sets,
ACRS units And Hundreds of Adapter Kits,
From Late at night or Early in the morn,
We’ve never seen him give up or quit,
No matter how much he was worn.
ISO9001, AS9100, DCMA, DCAA Audits a plenty,
He took all of it all in stride,
Always performing it with great pride – as if he were still twenty.I cannot say just how many times
I’ve heard one of these lines…
“Where is Vernon?” Or “Vernon knows How”
OR “Call Vernon for the answer” or “What? Vernon’s on vacation! Holy cow!”

One things for certain; one thing’s for sure,
Thousands of Americans and allied warfighters just have no clue,
How much they owe to a man named Vernon Grew.
A million parts he’s inspected,
A thousand crates he has built,
A million nails he has hammered,
With of course, some blood spilt.

So while we will miss him,
His mark carries on,
On many a hundred military bases,
Where proof of his pride in our work carries on.

So one thing I am sure of,
One thing I can say,
Is that March 19, 1979 was our lucky day!