It never goes away...

Posted on Record For Pop

ROCHESTER, NY - NOVEMBER 3: The Eastman Kodak Co. corporate headquarters is seen November 3, 2011, in Rochester, New York. Kodak announced a loss of $222 million in the third quarter and has warned it's survival hangs on the sale of digital-imaging patents or raising money by selling debts. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

From a conversation on Facebook:

As posted on the wall of the Eastman Kodak Company: "My father worked for Kodak for 36 years and authored over 200 US Patents during that time which he sold to the company for $1.00 with the understanding that he would get compensated for his efforts in the form of medical and retirement benefits and you bastards dare give yourselves huge bonuses then cut the medical and retirement benefits from his wife of 69 years, my mother? Shame on you and start running you pricks!"

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• Nicole Taylor and Kathy Miller Chevalier like this.
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  Ron Darling-Storyteller That's what happens when a company says...oh...digital is just a fad...we'll stay in the film business...

  2 hours ago · Like · 1
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  Kevin Patrick Reynolds They have no shame...my partents are in their late 80's and must now shop for their own health insurance.

  about an hour ago · Like
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  Ron Darling-Storyteller Who has no shame?....where in the contract we signed to live here...oh wait we signed no contract....but where does it say everything is a guarantee? I ran a very successful business for nearly 30 years...had lots of savings and was making a good six ...See More

  38 minutes ago · Like
• 

  Stephen G. Barr Well, my Pop was a company man and worked in the chem labs in Bldg. 59 for many years and authored over 200 of Kodak's patents which were up for sale not long ago, eventually became head of all of the research labs within Kodak Park then was promoted to be Kodak's Director of Information Services worldwide and was responsible for connecting all of Kodak's research libraries via this new thing called the internet before he retired with 36 LOYAL years of service. He and his then lab partner (Dr. Phil Land) invented and patented instant photography process together....Pop sold his rights to Kodak for a buck and Phil left and sold his rights to a little unknown startup called Poloroid. Kodak sat on that patent and didn't use it until long after Poloroid made hundreds of millions off of it. The least they could do is keep his widow supplied with an insurance premium before giving themselves up to 2 million in bonuses for steering a ghost ship into dry dock. Kodak management made several huge mistakes over the years, instant photography, film sales lost to Fugi, crappy printers and the death shot of digital technology which they owned long before anyone else did but again sat on their own technology too long in greed and arrogance which led to their ultimate demise. The three former Presidents I believe made the worst judgement errors were Lou Eilers, Jerry Zornow and Jack Thomas but they reported to an even more arrogant Board of Directors. My Mom is ok financially and now 85 and Pop is now 18 months passed and has his original patents in leather binders which I will pass down to my son as a symbol of days gone by and more than that a way of life that has left us when men worked for decades and were "company" men and the company left them with enough to carry them out the door for their valuable service to the cause. Pop's buried just a mile or so north of old building 59 in Holy Sepulchre Cemetary and he'd want me to speak up for him on this I'm very sure so I did. Have there been bigger crimes against humanity? Sure, but not against the life's work of a man who also discovered the cure for leprosy in 1947, could have sold his work to Poloroid like his partner did but chose to be loyal to the company that now spits on his grave and slaps his widow. It's a sad state of affairs we are in at this point indeed.

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Just now able to return 18 months almost since he passed....

Just a bookmark to mark the first time I've been able to return here...I now am able to go about a week at a time without thinking of him...but then I feel guilty as if I have abandoned his memory or whatever BS I run through my own head...I miss my Pop....and I'm tearing up so that's enough for today.

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Goodbye Pop....our bond is stronger than our bodies and forever!!

Thank You!

On behalf of the family I'd like to thank those folks who have sent condolences and or attended Pop's memorial service this past weekend. Your kind words and support really helped us all get through this loss. I'd also like to say I tried my best to deliver a proper eulogy on Saturday but as those of you who were there saw my emotions got the best of me and I couldn't get through my prepared eulogy so I will type it up and post it as the closing entry on my blog, A Caregiver's Silence which you can read here:

http://www.caregiverssilence.blogspot.com

Again, for all of the family I say thank you and love you all!

I Dedicate this song to Pop on his Journey

Fearless by Pink Floyd

You say the hill's too steep to climb

Climb it.

You say you'd like to see me try

Climbing.

You pick the place and I'll choose the time

And I'll climb

That hill in my own way.

Just wait a while for the right day.

And as I rise above the tree lines and the clouds

I look down, hearing the sound of the things you've said today.

Fearlessly the idiot faced the crowd

Smiling.

Merciless the magistrate turns 'round

Frowning.

And who's the fool who wears the crown?

No Doubt,

in your own way

And every day is the right day

And as you rise above the fear-lines in his brow

You look down, hearing the sound of the faces in the crowd