Bob M... your job....

Absent Minded Farmer · Dec 25, 2020

If you don't mind my asking, what did you do at Big K? Always interested in hearing about one of my favorite companies from someone that worked there. Just to keep things on topic, I present a couple of pictures shot on an expired roll of Kodak HD 400 using my Zeiss Ikon Contaflex Super B camera & f2.8/50 Tessar lens.

Mike

Bob M · Dec 25, 2020

Nice pics Mike!

I started at a facilities engineer in the Apparatus Div. Gradually moved up to engineering supervision then facilities manager. When the division got shut down I moved to Gov't Systems. This operation subsequently got sold off to ITT which in turn sold it to Exelis and finally to L3Harris. I'm now technically retired from L3Harris but never worked a day for them(!)

Was sad to see how far (and how quickly) Kodak declined. For generations it was the dominant employer in the Rochester area.

oldsarge · Dec 25, 2020

just look at the quality of those pics

Absent Minded Farmer · Dec 25, 2020

If Kodak would have embraced their digital technology, that was essentially created in house, they may still be on top. Still can't believe they dropped the ball on that one. All to please the shareholders.

Did Government Systems work with the film, the equipment, both.... or I'd understand if you can not say. I ask, because I'm always interested in learning more about the infrared films.

Mike

Absent Minded Farmer · Dec 25, 2020

I was afraid there would be some loss in terms of color rendering, due to age of the film & scanning, but they came out spot on. That HD film is/was a beautiful thing.

Mike

sandcastle1 · Dec 26, 2020

I worked in Commercial Film Manufacturing for 10 years, there was a department that made finished film for the government when I was there. This was in the 90's I left in the early 2000's and that department was still there. Not sure if they are shutdown yet or not. In 1992 we had a World Wide Sales Manager come to a meeting and tell us that digital was going to take film down, no one seemed to pay attention to her. She was off in the timing a little bit but she was correct in the end.

mikeb789 · Dec 26, 2020

I visited the plant outside Rochester NY in the early '80s. I was told that there had been 50,000 people working there. They had a big parking lot. If you parked your car illegally, in a spot you weren't supposed to, the parking security people would put a lock "boot" on your wheel. So you would have to go pay a fine or whatever, before you could go home.

Bob M · Dec 26, 2020

Yes - digital photography was invented/patented by Kodak. However management recognized digital was a threat to Kodak's 'cash cow' film business. Digital was essentially ignored until after Japan overwhelmed the market with digital cameras. It was too late for Kodak and they slid to bankruptcy.

Much of Gov't Systems work was (and still is....) classified and cannot be discussed.

Bob M · Dec 26, 2020

That was the the Elmgrove complex you visited. The interconnected buildings spanned two towns; they were a mile long end to end.

As you mention 50,000+ people worked there in the 1980's/90's. Shift changes were scheduled on 12 minute intervals to manage the traffic in/out.

Today many of the huge parking lots have been torn up and returned to empty fields. It's sad (and somewhat haunting...) to drive thru the site today.

Bob M... your job....

Absent Minded Farmer

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Bob M

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oldsarge

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Absent Minded Farmer

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Absent Minded Farmer

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sandcastle1

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mikeb789

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Bob M

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Bob M

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