With Thanks for a Dynamite Career

“I just called Lynn and offered her the job. She said, ‘Dynamite.’ Do you think that means she wants the position?”

That’s what Grace Warfield, head of publications, told the editor at The Council for Exceptional Children. Mrs. Warfield had just offered me a job as an editorial assistant. It was my first RJ, or real job, after college.

In 1973, dynamite meant that you were pleased.  Indeed, I was explosively pleased to get a job, especially one that would give me skills and experience for what I really wanted to do -- write -- rather than use the library degree I had just obtained.

I am thankful Mrs. Warfield took a chance on me.  As I celebrate my first Thanksgiving as a retiree, I realize there are many who followed her, took chances on me, and fostered my growth.

In 1977, I did appreciate that Dave Shipley and Jack King hired me to write the employee newsletter at Allegheny Airlines (later USAir and now US Airways). I knew little about aviation; it was my love of travel that led to a letter seeking employment at the only Washington, DC-based airline. 

What I didn’t appreciate at the time was what good bosses Dave and Jack would be. Now, after numerous superiors, I realize they were way above average. For one, they weren’t threatened by capable subordinates and, two, they gave me many opportunities to spread my wings.

I got to start USAir Magazine and work with talented editors and graphic designers. Then, after reading Douglas Starr’s booklet on How to Write a Speech, Jack and Dave said “Sure” to establishing the airline’s executive speechwriting function. My scope expanded to encompass financial communications and producing shareholder reports as well as to being the “logo cop” and responsible for corporate identity.

Jack’s successor, Pat Goldman, increased my responsibilities. And, Pat made sure I was promoted; this when I was five months pregnant with our second child. Later, she tapped me to work on marketing communications for the airline’s alliance with British Airways.

Meetings in London. Working with internationally known design consultants. Interviewing and writing about Sir Colin Marshall. Traveling on the Concorde. 

Yes, work can be fun.

Later, after two years working with the smartest man I know – my husband – in our small PR firm, aviation came calling again. That was 1997, when Eliot Brenner and Drucie Andersen hired me to write speeches for the to-be-confirmed Federal Aviation Administration chief Jane Garvey. Eliot and Drucie thought Jane and I would be a good fit as client and ghostwriter. It was a great fit. Those were rewarding and challenging years, especially after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when all eyes were on the FAA and its role in aviation security.

It was a privilege to write for Jane, an outstanding leader and dedicated public servant, who gave me a far greater appreciation for policy and for public service. As Dr. Paul Light says, public service is a noble calling. It is “work that matters.”

After Jane’s five-year term ended and after several moves within the FAA, I was becoming one of those sad-sack employees who counts the days toward retirement. The first time I checked the retirement calculator:   777 days to go.

Fortunately, those daily retirement-calculator checks were short-lived. Tom Zoeller, head of communications at the National Transportation Safety Board, came to my rescue with a detail assignment to write for the NTSB Chairman.

The six-month detail turned into ten months and then into a full-time job that lasted long after my 777-day countdown date.

What an opportunity for this sexagenarian to apply decades of experience – and more than 30 years in aviation – to write for such a dynamo. Chairman Deborah Hersman is smart and savvy with high standards. At my retirement gathering, she said I was the wind beneath her wings. Well, this client got me to soar higher than I thought possible.

Yet, speechwriters don’t fly solo.  There are muses, colleagues, and other sources of inspiration. My last shout out is to my fellow NTSB communicators (you can’t find better colleagues) and to Kelly Nantel, my NTSB boss. Kelly is a one-of-a-kind creative energy source. She deserves her own patent.

What a fitting way to close my career – doing work that matters with smart, talented, and dedicated people.

It was dynamite.

NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman and Kelly Nantel
at my Aloha farewell party.