Hard work pays off in memories

Having been retired for the past 30 years, I am reflecting on my working career. I rose through the supervisory ranks, ultimately supervising about 375 employees. It was a very challenging position as a production superintendent. You have to be cut out for such a position and love it. It was a union shop, so I had daily contacts with the union officials. Some of the contracts were very interesting.

When the notice of my promotion was posted, one of the top union officials read it and told me that I would last only six months on the job. I proved him “dead wrong,” because my tenure was 4 years and 6 months.

For most of my life I had considered him a friend, but with friends like that who needs enemies. Another top union official that I had daily contact with was more complimentary. He met my wife and me in downtown Youngstown, and told my wife even though we had many disagreements I was the most honest person he had every known.

My employer was in a downsizing mode, so I decided to leave the company rather than take another position and be master of my own destiny at 47 years of age. During my exit interview my general manager paid me another high compliment when he said, “Mike, anyone that works as hard as you do should be in your own business.” He then recommended me to Commercial Intertech, Inc., which hired me, where I worked for the next 15 years until my retirement.

I retired as its corporate safety and security director. We won many safety awards, some national in scope. I would like to be remembered as a fair but firm supervisor.

Finally, if I don’t toot my own horn, nobody else will. I have had a regular monthly column published in The Vindicator for about the last 25 years, numbering 283 and counting, plus 3 special stories. My tie-in with The Vindicator goes back to 1940 when I became a Vindy carrier, when we shouted, “Extra, Extra, Read All About It.”

Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree and member of the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.