I

Vol. 3 No.2 A Western Electric Publication February, 1970

First 3A Switch For lOlESS Ships On Schedule

AT A GLANCE

MVW shipped first 3A Switch on schedu Ie this month, using

accelerated production schedule and innovative techniques.

A new product, the 3A Switch is being manufactured in Department 1172 at the Lawrence Shop.

The 3A Switch is MVW's part in

the Bell System's 101 Electronic Switching System.

101 ESS is a private branch exchange service capable of handling up to 820 telephone extensions and 112 trunks to a central office.

The 3A Switch provides speed

dialing, call forwarding, conference calls, Picturephone (R) service, and Touch Tone or dial phone service.

LOST AND FOUND- Losers may not necessarily be weepers if they check the Lost and Found service of the Plant Protection Department. Your lost item may have been found by a co-worker. Here Alba Butler, right, of the department returns wallet to Jean Nowe, Department 11 5 1-1. First and second shift employees with either a lost or found item to rt:port should call extension 2425 from 10:30 to 11 a.m., 3 to 3:30 p.m., and 4 to 4:30 p.m. Third shift people should call extension 2221 any time during the shift.

Some of the members of the 3A Switch crew.

Another Merrimack Valley Works first-shipment of the first 3A Switch ever manufactured here-was achieved this month. Making the achievement even more noteworthy is the fact that it was accomplished on an extremely accelerated schedule.

The 3A Switch is one of Merrimack Valley's contributions to the Bell System's 101 Electronic Switching System, a private branch exchange service providing facilities to a customer on his premises. Used in small industries, hospitals, motels, etc., it can handle up to 820 telephone extensions and 112 trunks to a central office.

The completed 3A Switch comprises four frames of two bays each. It provides speed dialing, call forwarding, conference calls, and, with auxiliary gear currently under design, will handle Picture phone (R) service. It can also handle Touch Tone and dial phone service. The control unit, which is built at Hawthorne, is located at the telephone central office.

The complex 3A Switch was produced by the people of Department 1172 at the Lawrence Plant. Production got under

way in November, instituting a crash program unparalleled in Works history.

Merrimack Valley engineers, in conjunction with engineers from Hawthorne, had to procure new facilities, plan layouts, provide adequate instructions, and prove in test procedures. Meanwhile a group of high graded testers were sent to Hawthorne for special training.

It was a case of all-out effort on everyone's part. For example, a suggestion by Lillian Grzejka of 1172-1 resulted in a $200.00 award for her and a new device to display wiring information.

In short, only the highest level of innovation and the closest cooperation among all organizations made possible th.is remarkable manufacturing performance.

Page 2

Anniversaries

G. W. Gliss 40 Years

Name Dept. Feb.

FORTY YEARS Gliss, George E. 100 27

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS Peters, Raymond J. 973 6 Stocker, Winifred F. 221 10 Grandmaison, Eleanor D. 973 12 Johnson, Irving E. 1221 19 Prue , Ronald T. 960 26

TWENTY YEARS Haritos, Koula J. 974 13 Moses , Donald E. 926 19

FI FTEEN YEARS Ingraham, Rita M. 221 3 Mahoney, James F. 415 6 Marcoux, Bertha S. 1145 8 Barcellona, Pauline K. 842 9 LeBlanc, Donat A. 842 9 Ramsey , Virginia E. 1158 9 Hannan, Ralph E. 541 13 Sullivan, Raymond R . 1140 21 Martin , Normand J. 926 22 Capodelupo, Rose 960 23 Perkins, Henry C. 159 28 Perrault, Mary J. 378 28 Sawyer, Donald W. 742 28

Published By

@ Western Electric For the information of employees of the

MERRIMACK VALLEY WORKS

North Andover, Massachusetts

Dept,24O Area Code 617·686-0600 Ext . 2594

BILL COLLINS, Jr. Editor

Photographers JAMES P. CHASSE

DANIEL R. BALSLEY

'70 Ye ar Of Long Weekends Two four-day holiday weekends and

five three-day weekends (including New Year's, 1971) are in store for Merrimack Valley Works employees in 1970.

Most of the year's holidays fall on weekends. Thanksgiving, November 26, starts a four-day weekend , and with the day before Christmas off, this holiday also provides four work-free days.

Here's the 1970 schedule for the Merrimack Valley Works : Good Friday, March 27; Memorial Day, Monday, May 25; Independence Day, Friday , July 3; Labor Day , Monday , September 7; Thanksgiving Day, Thurs. and Fri., November 26 and 27; Christmas, Thurs. and Fri., December 24 and 25; New Year's Day, 1971, Friday , January 1.

In Memoriam

Mary T. Adam, Department 925-2. January 11,1970.

Charles R. Sanborn , Department 528-6. January 12, 1970.

Paul J . Matton , retired. January 12, 1970.

John R. Kidd , retired . January 25, 1970.

Anthony M. Jacobucci, Department 925-5N. January 31,1970.

Retirements

S. A. Cooke

Sumner A. Cooke , Department 537, will retire from Western Electric on February 28, 1970. Mr. Cooke, who has more than sixteen years of service with the company, resides at 252 High Street, Newburyport.

MVW NEWSLETTER

Promotions

R. A. Menard

L. J. Winn A. L. Royer

Robert A. Menard was promoted lrom Senior Engineer, 742, to Department Chief, Deposited Carbon Resistor , Spool Coil and Ferrite Carbon Filter and Network Engineering, 712, effective January 15.

Leonard J. Winn, formerly Senior Engineer, 712, was promoted to Department Chief, Raw Materials and Tantalum Nitride Thin Film Resistors, 755, effective January 15.

Arthur L. Royer , formerly Section Chie f, L-4 Repeater, Testing and Bonding, 1160-2, was promoted to Department Chief, T-l Carrier, 1148-N, effective January 19.

Promoted effective February 15, 1970:

Armand J. Bergeron, Engineering Associate - 845, to Section Chief, Quality Appraisal and Control- 842-2 .

Warren B. Crawford , Production Analyst - 415-1, to Section Chief, Customer Service - 451-3.

Louis P. Lantagne, Engineering Associate - 158-2, to Section Chief, BTL Drafting Service - Printed Wiring Board Products-158-1 (New).

John W. McSheehy, Operating Engineer - 538-7, to Section Chief, Coordinator Plant Service - 538-4N (New).

Alfred L. Crouse , Electrician - 534-3, to Section Chief, Plant and Machine Maintenance - 536-1 T.

Kermit K. Cross, Engineering Associate - 744, to Section Chief, Plant Service -538-1 (New) .

Robert A. Bonomi, Planning Engineer -190, to Section Chief, Tl Systems Inspection - 1145-10.

MVW NEWSLETTER

Dunked Skunk Says Beauty's Bunk If you had mentioned the word

"skunk" to Barbara Webb of Department 615-1 about a year ago, chances are she'd have wrinkled her nose and changed the subject. Yet today she is the happy owner of an 8-month-old skunk named Stinky.

Barbara found the then potentially pungent youngster lying on a lawn some 7 months ago. Frightened and hungry, he had been drenched with water as someone's idea of fun. Barbara fed and cared for him overnight, and thus began a lasting friendship.

The first order of business for Stinky was the process of deodorization. This was accomplished by a friend of Barbara's who is a taxidermist.

Stinky, who now weighs 7Yz pounds, has definite tastes in food. Although he still eats the dog food on which he was raised, he is also fond of table scraps, preferring buttered toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast, and hamburg or chicken for dinner.

A very quiet animal, Stinky utters only an occasional squeak. He spends his resting hours at home in a long comfortable box, and travels in his own carrying case.

One of Barbara's more humorous episodes with Stinky occurred the day he was to be taken to the veterinarian's for his innoculations. Fearing that dogs and cats in the waiting room might not take too kindly to him, she brought him there in a brown paper bag. Owners and pets alike must have wondered what the squirming object in the bag could be.

Recently Stinky had his first taste of show business when Barbara entered him

UNUSUAL PROMOTION­Frank Iuele, Jr.,

973-5, took a gian t step

recently in the U.S. Army Reserves

when he was promoted from Sergeant First Class to

Second Lieutenant. Pinning on

lieutenant's bars is Brigadier General

William R. Porter, left, assisted by

Frank Iuele senior.

Barbara Webb, 615 -1, and friend.

in a beauty contest for skunks at the Sportsmen's Show in Boston. Sponsored by the North American Family Campers Association, the competition was held to select a skunk to represent the need for conservation throughout the country. Twenty-seven skunks competed for the title of "Posie the Polecat," and were judged on size, disposition and appearance.

Although he didn't walk off with the honors, Stinky didn't seem to mind. Apparently he feels that beauty is far less important than having a good home.

MUSINGS Some people don't hear opportunity

knocking because they're too busy knocking opportunity.

Page 3

WE To Sponsor Eclipse On TV On Saturday, March 7, the last good

total eclipse of the sun to be observed in the United States in this century will occur. While it will be available in varying degrees of totality in all parts of the country, its full drama and impact will be lost to the vast majority of Americans.

CBS-TV network affiliates will make the experience of a total eclipse possible wherever one lives in the United States and regardless of weather conditions on the ground. The March 7 event will be the first solar eclipse completely covered by television-live and in color, from airplanes above the clouds, and from several ground points along the path with remote cameras.

Western Electric will be the sole sponsor of the news special report, "Earth in the Shadow of the Moon-The Solar Eclipse," over WHDH-TV, Channel 5, from 1 :00 to 2:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 7. Be sure to check your local newspaper on that date to ascertain whether the program will also be shown on tape at a later time.

NOTE: If you view the eclipse directly, to avoid eye damage, do not use sunglasses, used negatives, smoked glass, telescopes, or binoculars. One device that may be considered safe for viewing the sun-for a limited time only-with the naked eye is at least two pieces of completely exposed, fully developed black and white photographic film, pI a ce d with emulsion (dull) sides together.

4TH ANNUAL WEVALLEY CLUB PRESIDENT'S BALL plans are discussed by WEV ALLEY Girl Carol Leavitt and club president Jim Jameson, seated, with Wayne Williams, vice president, and Nancy Peterson, 2nd vice president. The ball will be held February 28 at the Sheraton Rolling Green Motor Inn. Ted Herbert's orchestra will play for dancing.

Page 4

Bell Boosts Building Budget to $7-Billion

New Trimline Ups Performance, Cuts Weight, Size

Denver-Frisco Link Would Complete Cross-Country Cable

WE Washing Machine Founcl; Built About 1915

Bell Earnings Up; Chemicals In Phones Increase

Underground Pipe For Telephone Calls

Telephone Excise Tax To Continue

Picturephone (R) For Traffic Court Trials?

MVW NEWSLETTER

K a/eidoscope

Going Up! Bell System construction bUdget-estimated at a record $7 billion for 1970, up from $5_7 billion in '69, itself a record-reflects space-age surge in communications requirements ... Space influence is also seen in growing use of satellite communication circuits for phoning. Long Lines now routes US-Republic of China

(Taiwan) calls by such circuits direct. Past service was routed by satellite to Philippines, then by radio to Taiwan.

Touch-Tone Trimline (R) phone takes a forward step with a design change which improves performance and longevity while reducing weight and size. Key to improvement is a hybrid integrated circuit in the tone generator of the new model.

The Bell System is ready-pending FCC approval-to produce a 22-tube coaxial cable for a 1300-mile Denver to San Francisco route. The new cable, capable of carrying 36,000 simultaneous conversations, would connect with a Boston-Denver circuit already in service.

Remember the New Hampshire man who found an early Western Electric radio in his barn? Now an 83-year-old Long Islander has found a WE washing machine built about 1915. Both items have been added to the company's historical collection of early products.

Bell System earnings for the 3-month period ending 11/30/69 were 99 cents a share, topping earnings of 96 cents for the same period in "68 ... It's elemental! The number of chemical elements used in Bell System telephones has increased from 35 in 1967 to 42 in 1969.

A sophisticated pipe, two inches in diameter and buried four feet underground, has been proposed by BTL ... called millimeter waveguide, it's part of a new communications system scheduled for field trial in 1974 ... capacity would be a quarter million simultaneous conversations.

The excise tax on telephone service is likely to be around for some time yet ... in his budget message, President Nixon said he would ask Congress to extend this tax, as well as the automobile excise tax, at the present rate through December 31, 1971.

A former traffic court judge has suggested Picturephone (R) service as a solution to the problem of long and costly travel involved in court trials of persons accused of traffic violations ... when someone is cited for a violation while on a long trip, appearance in court at a later date presents a real problem ... former Judge Richard P.

Moloney says in Nov., 1969 issue of American Bar Association Journal that "Picturephone would put the defendant in the courtroom for all practical purposes."