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That day at Gamma Supplies was to be the first of many unusual ones to occur while I was
associated with the company. First, I was told all the laboratory personnel were in
Chicago preparing for a foundry show at the McCormick building, and Darth talked at
great length about their exhibit called the Gamma Show Boat. However, during the day while I
was touring the laboratory, a couple of workers stuck their head in the door, starred at me
and then went on their way. I later learned that those two men were laboratory personnel
whom would later be reporting to me. But Darth did not even acknowledge the presence
of the two men and made no attempt to introduce me to them. In fact, other than my brief
introduction to Arnold Cline at the airport, I only spoke with Darth and Ravi.
While on my tour of Gamma Supplies, I was told that Darth had planned to build up the
company and Ravi and been hired to help in that program. The position that I was
applying for was a first level management position with the title, Group Leader – Polymers.
I was to be the only Ph. D. level personnel besides Ravi, and would be responsible for all
laboratory work. I was to report directly to Ravi who in turn reported to Darth.
Since I had scheduled my return flight from Chicago for late that afternoon, Darth
decided to take me to the McCormick building first to see the Gamma Show Boat exhibit. When
we arrived, we were greeted at the door by a man who said there had been a fire at the
Gamma Show Boatexhibit, and that Carl Host, the Gamma employee responsible for the
accident had been taken to the hospital seriously injured. After viewing the considerable
damage to the exhibit, Darth made a call to the hospital. He informed me that Carl
would be OK, but that he had some serious burns. We then went on the tour of the exhibit
hall, and as we talked I asked Darth who their major competitors were in the foundry
industry. He was reluctant to tell me at first, but after more questions which indicated I
wanted an answer, he said Best Supplies Company. was the largest supplier of foundry binders. At the time, I couldn't understand his reluctance to answer such a seemingly harmless but
highly relevant question. After we completed the tour of the exhibit hall, Darth drove me
directly to the airport.

It was unfortunate for reasons other than the serious nature of Carl Host's
injuries that I did not get to meet or talk with Carl. Carl Host was a tall, angular man in his 30s. He was a pleasant, non-aggressive person whom I nicknamed “the Klutz”. If an accident were possible, Carl would make it happen and be responsible for it. Years after I left Gamma Supplies, I learned that he was responsible for an explosion in Youngstown, OH which caused considerable damage to a newly acquired plant and the surrounding area. Ironically, the explosion was caused by a process and product that I had developed while I was at Gamma Supplies. Despite his obvious shortcomings, Carl had been with Gamma Supplies about ten years and was Darth's right-hand man. In fact, I believe it was Carl's non-aggressive, non-threatening nature that allowed a man like Darth to trust Carl. The reason it was unfortunate that I did not get to meet him is that if I had known Carl's stature in the company, I might have been curious as to why such a small company would need three
technical managers – Rave, Carl and myself. But without directly talking to Carl, I had
to take Darth's word that Carl was just another laboratory worker I did not get to meet.

A few days after I returned home, Ravi called me and said they wanted to offer me the
job and asked what I would like for a starting salary. His inquiry about the salary was
surprising to me for two reasons. First, on the ride to Chicago, Darth had mentioned that
the salary for the position would be in the twenty six to twenty seven thousand dollars
range. Second, I felt they should offer me what they thought was a fair, competitive
salary. After much bickering, I said I would not accept the position for less that twenty
five thousand a year, and I would also like my wife, Anita to visit the area before I made
any decision. Ravi acted startled by my salary demand, but he reluctantly agreed. A
couple of days later I received a written offer containing these four major points: 1) The
starting salary would be twenty five thousand dollars a year; 2) My title would be Group
Leader/Polymers; 3) My major responsibility would be to “build a laboratory group” and
My wife and I were invited to visit Chicago for a house-hunting trip.

In mid April my wife and I went to Chicago to tour the area. Ravi, who was to be
my immediate supervisor, acted as tour guide. The weather that day was a harbinger of
things to come. The flight into Chicago was delayed be inclement weather and later in
the day, the airport was closed down for a period of time due to poor visibility. Driving
was equally hazardous as visibility was reduced to no more than 25 to 30 feet. Anita was
obviously upset by the inclement conditions, and I spent the rest of the day assuring her
that on my previous visit, the weather had been beautiful.