Derrel Norris
I worked with, or around John for many years, from around 1970, until a bunch of us left IBM in 1993. My best memories are of he and Jim on the many IBM spring fishing trips through the years. I could never get either of them explain how they could pour a cup of boiling coffee, straight from the camp fire, and finish it while I was adding cream and sugar to mine. I remember on the first or second trip I went on, on Toledo Bend, 1972(?). Those of us there on Friday night had already went to bed, around midnight or one AM. Well, sometime after that, Jim and John came in, in that VW van one of them owned at the time. We arose Saturday AM and found a mountain of beer cans around the campfire site. As I recall now, there were somewhere north of 40 cans in that pile. They sure could hold their brews! Enjoyed hearing their tales of their youth in East Texas. Among his other accomplishments, all us old IBMers owe john our gratitude for maintaining, for many years, the IBMers old timers list. If not for his doing so, I doubt any of us could've kept track of our former friends and workmates. Thanks John, for all the memories. RIP.