Today is the first Monday in September, and Labor Day, a holiday that has been celebrated for more than 100 years. Labor Day evolved from a holiday which originally celebrated labor unions and working folks, to an unofficial ending to summer. With a touch of coolness in the air, we are reminded that September marks the beginning of autumn.
With the celebration of Labor Day, I would like to tell you about one of my two favorite jobs. If you are thinking, “Oh no, she’s going to complain again about losing the last job of her career due to Parkinson’s” (see It’s Not Working), not to worry. I am also sick of my whining.
Instead of whining, I would like to tell you about my first real job while growing up in Kansas City, Missouri. My age was 16, a milestone year when I could officially land a real job, although part-time as I was still in high school. Attached to the real job was a real paycheck, not merely spending money from babysitting.
In 1966, the record of the year was A Taste of Honey by the Tijuana Brass, the song of the year was The Shadow of Your Smile, and the best picture of the year was The Sound of Music.
John F. Kennedy was assassinated three years earlier, and the Beatles were singing We Can Work It Out.
The event of 1966 which started my work career was the opening of the Metro Plaza Theatres in Kansas City, Missouri. I was a proud cashier at the first four-theatre complex in the world opened by Stanley Durwood of Durwood Theatres, the forerunner of AMC Theatres.
What did I learn from my first real job that I hadn’t learned from my father who touted hard work as the panacea for all of life’s problems and from the nuns, my teachers, who promoted the work ethic as a second religion?
I learned how to multi-task, i.e. sell hundreds of tickets to hurried customers attending any of four different movies throughout the day.
I learned to tabulate the price of the ticket sales in my head and how to count back change without a cash register.
I learned to balance the records at the end of each evening and the importance of being exact with money, not being over or under.
I learned how to manually calculate ticket sales (remember these were pre-computer times) so that I wouldn’t oversell tickets to any movie.
I learned how to speak respectfully and cheerfully to customers, employees and supervisors.
I learned how to dress appropriately in the workplace.
I learned how to enjoy good movies with free passes to AMC Theatres when I wasn't working.
***
A lot has happened since my first real job in 1966.
A year later, I graduated from Bishop Hogan High School on the hill across the street from that movie theatre.
Three years later while I was attending Creighton University, I helped Stanley Durwood open his first six-theatre complex in Omaha.
Nine years later, the movie theatre of my first real job, closed. Some time later, the building morphed into a social security office.
Forty years later, I retired.
Forty one years later, I continue to enjoy movies at the AMC Theatres and will attend my upcoming 40th year graduation from the high school on the hill across the street from my first real job.
Hi Kate,
I loved reading "Ticket To Ride." I had the greatest opportunity to learn lots from you, while working in the volunteer office. I believe it's great to have a work hard attitude - it makes life exciting. Thanks for being a great role model for people of all ages. ~Meg
Posted by: Meg | September 05, 2007 at 07:58 PM