January 2020
After nearly forty years in the semiconductor industry, I retired at age sixty in 2002. Those were fascinating, halcyon years in this amazing business, and my career transitioned from early hands-on technical and middle management, then to business and senior management, and finally to strategy and business relationships (Joint Ventures, IP Licensing, and the like). It was not a solid run with Motorola as I managed to get fired once and left once for a Start-Up-like opportunity. These two interruptions were uneven experiences in which I moved my young family from Arizona to two very different locations: Florida and Pennsylvania. One involved a buy-out where a ruthless, scavenging, crummy outfit bought my specialized product line from a large, formerly great international company which now was fading; their entire strategy was to drain off the remaining inventory and assets and run positive cash flow no matter what. Another was a closely held fast-paced small company on the Stock Exchange. They wanted to grow and be a hot-show success. Both of these, polar opposites, were instructional and painful. In the end, my relationships at Motorola proved to be enduring, and I was able to return - twice. There is one man, whose name I won’t mention, to whom I owe a life-long debt. PL, where ever you are, I’ll never be able to thank you enough for believing in me.
Motorola was a great company with solid long-term family leadership continuance coupled with a solid top management circle and high ethics. The firm was run the right way as a first-class technical enterprise. Things changed when the firm had the good (or perhaps bad) fortune to invent the world’s single most important product in the last hundred years - the cell phone. For everything Motorola knew about radio technology (they made the best radios, and the cell phone at its core is a radio) they did not understand about the Internet and Applications and mass marketing. It would have taken the most amazing leadership to ride this wave, and we did not have a Steve Jobs-type visionary. Very few companies do. The four most important words in the English language may very well be The Internet Changes Everything.
Following retirement, there was time for travel with my loyal and long-suffering wife, focus on hobbies, and attempt to become the father I often was not with our three (then younger) children. Times were good until my wife’s stroke in late 2011, and now we travel difficult roads together.
I enjoy reading and writing, which has become a focus. Perhaps it should have been the focus. I'll never know. Some of you comment from time to time on my two books as well as the blogs and book reviews on GoodReads.
https://authorjkgeorge.com/blog/
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/8814018
Even with classes and fairly long-term membership in the Writers’ League of Texas, I’ve learned the hard way about writing. Learning from errors – learning by doing - has taught me a lot. Sales of my two books are minuscule by popular indices. I'm not a best-selling author, but have reached the mid-thousands. There are lots and lots of emails and feedback, mostly positive, about both books and this alone is encouragement.
My initial book, Reunion, is a fictional story with lots of historic realities; okay, it’s really an autobiographical fiction. That’s a term that’s not allowed officially, but is probably accurate. The story now is actively under development by a professional screen writer; hopefully it will emerge someday as a movie or other TV content. The dream lives on.
The second book, a non-fiction work about an international Olympics-style shortwave radio competition resulted directly from a request by a reader of Reunion, a man in New England, who liked the story and the personal writing style. Contact Sport has been reviewed widely, including Scientific American and numerous others, especially within the hobby of amateur radio. Both books now are available in all major formats, and sales reflect a measure of current reading preferences.
Life has transitioned into my becoming a care-giver for my wonderful wife of nearly sixty years. We married early – her parents had to approve (in writing!) as she was only seventeen … this was West Virginia by the way, nab ‘em while they're young! She kept our family together when I was not there - either physically or emotionally. It’s the least I can do to ensure her care since her serious stroke in late 2011. We enjoy a warm and meaningful relationship with our three adult (fifty to fifty-seven year old) children, five grands, and one very young “great grand.” We are relieved, and proud, that our kids are honest and good people who excel in unique and different ways.
Deep friendships with a handful of amateur radio friends, my “Morse code buddies,” are extremely fulfilling. These are five guys I would trust with my life.
My men’s book club also is a very important group for me. There are thirteen of us, an eclectic group of mostly “old Austin” guys deeply connected to the community and varied in terms of reading interests. Our reading has broadened my life and perspectives more than I can say, even though I still feel like a “newbie” after fifteen years!
Finally, special life-long relatives including several first cousins are important parts of my life. We shared upbringings in Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia. The deep roots and trust are a priceless treasure.
As I reflect on a life now clearly in the home stretch, little things such as Sunday morning classical music on Austin’s KMFA along with a good breakfast come to mind. Running in town along Lady Bird Lake’s hike-and-bike trail is special. On the nerdy side, the mental translation of high-speed Morse code as well as reading the international news in German hopefully keep dementia at bay. Last but certainly not least, good memories of my student days as well as numerous post-graduation committee memberships at Virginia Tech make any list of special life joys. I’m a Hokie for life.
So on it goes.
Hopefully for a bit longer.
Comments are welcome and will be published, pro and con without the writer's identity. Make your comments below, or send to me via email at n3bb@mindspring.com
Enjoy life; it's the only one we will get.
J.K. (Jim) George
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* Check out my books and blogs on my author website:
www.authorjkgeorge.com
Please recommend them to your friends. Also, recall that I’ll travel to any book club or radio club within two hours of Austin to discuss either of the books and answer any questions. Any and all comments are welcome either by email to my return address, n3bb@mindspring.com, or to the website in the comments section after any blog.
* Reunion is available in stock at Tamarack on the West Virginia Turnpike as well as at amazon.com and other Internet retail locations. It’s under consideration for a movie, and a screenplay now is under active development!
*Contact Sport is in stock in hardcover print format at any of the thirteen HRO (Ham Radio Outlet) stores nationwide as well as at DX-Engineering and the American Radio Relay League. In addition, many Barnes and Noble stores nationwide carry it in stock, and they, as well as Book People in Austin or any independent bookstore, can order it. You can buy direct at my website’s link for a personalized copy.
*Both books now are available in Print, eBook, and Audio Book formats at all major Internet retailers.
