It was 1978, and I was Chief Dogcatcher.
My boss asked, "Would you like to be Civil Defense Director?"
The old CD Director had retired before writing the Emergency Operations plan the County desperately needed.
I took the job and got started making contacts and writing the plan.
The job came with a fairly nice office on the second floor of a privately owned office building.
A Real Estate Broker occupied the office across from mine.
My first morning on the job, the Broker came in and introduced himself-
"Hi, I'm Ben! Are you a coffee drinker?"
When I answered in the affirmative, he said, "Well, there's no need for you to brew your own, 'cause I always have a fresh pot brewing in my office. Just contribute now and then to the coffee fund, and you can have a bottomless cup!"
I grabbed my cup and he led me to the pot.
Ben introduced me to his attractive secretary, who also carried the name, "Mrs. Ben".
Her name was Shirley.
Next morning I unlocked my office door, turned on the lights, and grabbed my cup for the first cup of the day.
Ben was nowhere to be found, but Shirley was holding down the fort.
"So Shirley, where are you from?"
-"Indiana".
"Oh? What part?"
-"Central".
"Oh? What town?"
-"Just outside Indianapolis".
"Oh? Where outside Indianapolis?"
-"South of Indy".
"Oh?!! Where did you go to High School?"
-"Center Grove."
"What was your Maiden name!?"
-"S******"
I laughed out loud.......
"You had an older sister Sheila, and a younger brother Jeff.
Sheila was a cheerleader.
Jeff graduated in the class before me. I knew him pretty well!"
We were 250 miles from home.
Small world.
Great coffee!
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What a great story, GB!
If I’m not mistaken, her sister was a nurse at Lilly’s for a long time. She worked on the research floor when I took a class there.
I've had similar encounters but none better. Meeting a fellow CG grad so far from home must have been a real treat.
When I was Active Duty in Madrid, I took a patient to the Flight Line only to give report to a Flight Nurse who graduated a year ahead of me from General (now Wishard)
One time in Amsterdam, I found myself of a tour with three ladies who lived about a mile from where my parents had moved. I immediately changed into my “Best Behavior” mode!
In Baghdad, I worked with an Admin Officer,, one of the best ever. He had grown up near Greenwood where he was home schooled. He knew more about Indiana than I did!! (which would not be that hard, come to think of it)
His father had been a med student at the same time and place where I was a student nurse.
Small world indeed.
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