Thomas Hoehn's Posts
47 Years at Kodak - Ron Baird, Kodak Rockstar!
A good friend of Kodak's, Ron Baird, is retiring today, March 31, 2009. He will be missed but I think he is entitled to a break. You see, Ron started at Kodak on May 13, 1962. Yes, you read that right.
I have known Ron since the earliest days of kodak.com. I met him in the heady days of acoustic couplers, torrents of free AOL discs, and Mosaic browsers in the Fall of 1996. Ron was already a veteran of online communities and was well know in many photo-related forums and discussion groups.
I once asked Ron if he was at work when Kennedy was shot and sure enough he was. Ron said; "I can recall vividly where I was when I learned the President had been shot. It was quite moving. People were crying and scared. I was on the 8th floor of Building 6 at the elevators." (This is in the same complex where I work.)
His first job at Kodak was as on the shipping docks at Kodak Office, our HQ. He was also a "delivery boy," says Ron; "my job was to sort out the boxes, get them all together, then deliver them four times a day." He grew from there.
Ron has a deep love for Kodak and it shows. In recent years he has held various Customer Support roles. His vast knowledge of photography and our products combined with his easy-going charm has benefited thousands of people.
I am sure we will still be seeing Ron online. He is my benchmark for continuous learning and has been, and still is, an inspiration to me and many here at EK.
Ron, here's to you my good friend! Salut!
p.s. I still remember the first day I met Ron. After a bunch of team building stuff in Cooperstown, NY we went out to a club. I remember hearing someone belting out Bob Seger's Old Time Rock and Roll on a mic - it was Ron. Perhaps he'll have time for a tour now ;-)
I have known Ron since the earliest days of kodak.com. I met him in the heady days of acoustic couplers, torrents of free AOL discs, and Mosaic browsers in the Fall of 1996. Ron was already a veteran of online communities and was well know in many photo-related forums and discussion groups.
kodak.com Crew Circa 1996 - Click to enlarge.
I once asked Ron if he was at work when Kennedy was shot and sure enough he was. Ron said; "I can recall vividly where I was when I learned the President had been shot. It was quite moving. People were crying and scared. I was on the 8th floor of Building 6 at the elevators." (This is in the same complex where I work.)
His first job at Kodak was as on the shipping docks at Kodak Office, our HQ. He was also a "delivery boy," says Ron; "my job was to sort out the boxes, get them all together, then deliver them four times a day." He grew from there.
Ron has a deep love for Kodak and it shows. In recent years he has held various Customer Support roles. His vast knowledge of photography and our products combined with his easy-going charm has benefited thousands of people.
I am sure we will still be seeing Ron online. He is my benchmark for continuous learning and has been, and still is, an inspiration to me and many here at EK.
Ron, here's to you my good friend! Salut!
p.s. I still remember the first day I met Ron. After a bunch of team building stuff in Cooperstown, NY we went out to a club. I remember hearing someone belting out Bob Seger's Old Time Rock and Roll on a mic - it was Ron. Perhaps he'll have time for a tour now ;-)
Photos from a Kodak friend, Rick Zuegel
The photos in this series are all from the Chautauqua Institution in the western part of New York State.
Many of Rick's photographs have won awards in international salons from France through the United States, Canada, and Australia. More than 200 have won prizes in World Class competitions including over 40 international medals including "Best of Show" from Sierra Club, Audubon Society, Photographic Society of America, and Eastman Kodak.
Rick was a Kodak Ambassador for Photography, a founder and Director of the North America Nature Photography Association, Vice-president of the Chautauqua Center for Visual Arts, member of a photography school advisory council, past Vice-chairman NANPA Infinity Foundation, past Educational Research Fellow at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute for Natural History, and past U.S. Chairman of the Lake Ontario Chapter of the Photographic Society of America.
He is listed as an accomplished photographer by The American Artists, The New York Art Review, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in the World. Rick ranked 9th in the World in nature photography by the Photographic Society of America.
Over 600 private and commercial collections include Rick's work.One photograph resides in the private collection of President Clinton, another in the permanent collection of a national art gallery.
Rick lead photo cruises to Alaska, Caribbean, Mediterranean and Asia; judges salons; teaches conventional and digital photography at Elderhostels, Chautauqua Institution, and elsewhere; writes; does radio/TV interviews; presents travelogues.
Rick was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) a few years ago. I have visited with him while in Chautauqua and keep in contact via e-mail (a wonderful thing). This terrible disease certainly takes its toll. Since Rick was told he had ALS he has published 7 books. He tells me that number 8 is on the way - an amazing guy!
His books, including the Chautauqua series, can be found on Lulu.com.
