Long Live the Queen

Long Live the Queen

                                                                                         By Dick Mauer ...

In 1968 I transferred from Indio to Buffalo. Within a short time after arriving I noticed the amazing style and apparent wealth of the Buffalo Sector Intelligence Officer, Mike Landon. Mike was driving a brand new lime green Cadillac and seemed to wear a different set of expensive threads every day. After getting to know him, I asked him one day if he owned an oil well or a gold mine. Mike told me his secret: Go to PFI Toronto as an Immigrant Inspector young man and untold wealth can be yours. After a few years of slugging it out in the Buffalo Greyhound Bus station I followed his advice and transferred to Toronto as an II ( I also learned that I.I. in spanish is YOYO) to discover  the ins and outs of inspections via OJT. Mike was right when he told me to be ready to work long days and long weeks. The norm in Toronto was 14 hours days and 6 day weeks, and take the phone off the hook on day 7. (yeah we had hooks in Canada in those days) The rewards were bountiful as I learned the wonders of '31 Act and '45 Act Overtime.

The initial overseas assignment in those days was for 2 years but it was possible to remain overseas past the 2 years. However, the requirement that had to be met for an extension was a yearly certification by your supervisor that the employee was "not out of touch with life and times in the United States" (whatever that meant).  My kids were small at the time and my third grader came home from school one day very excited. He proudly announced at dinner that "OUR QUEEN IS COMING TO CANADA"

YIKES!!!!! I took that to mean that we were pushing the envelope on our annual certification and I returned back stateside shortly thereafter