[NJARC] Bell Labs - some remarks and memories ONE MORE ITEM!

Wed Aug 29 15:31:20 EDT 2007

I'm pretty sure we are talking about the holmdel stock room when we say the 'gift shop'.
You had access to any resistor, capacitor, transistor, connectors, project boxes, tools, soldering supplies. It was heaven for a techie. They also had loads of paper supplies including 4 ring binders. That's right, not 3 ring but 4 ring binders. Rumor is the binders and paper were made with 4 rings to avoid employees the temptation of  using them for school and home use. It did not work though, Every september there would be a mad rush on the binders and they would always run out quickly. All kinds of chemical supplies were also available like test tubes, bunsen burners, corks, fancy test tube holders. 
   I really missed the 'gift shop' when they closed it down. Eventually you couldn't even get a pen or paper and were told to get your own supplies at Staples.

Phil Vourtsis

----- Original Message -----
From: "Stephen F. Goulart" 
Date: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 3:35 pm
Subject: RE: RE: [NJARC] Bell Labs - some remarks and memories ONE MORE ITEM!
To: New Jersey Antique Radio Club 

> Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> _______________________________________________
> JR,
> Holmdel had a gift shop for cards, candy and photo finishing; a 
> supply room
> for tools, chips and software (also school supply for some of 
> the cheaper
> personnel who actually would bring their kids) and a computer 
> supply for
> computer hardware. In my group most would not allow themselves 
> to have last
> seasons computer (or laptop and we were expected to have both) 
> so the
> computer supply was popular.
> 
> Also there was a dry cleaning shop and a credit union as I 
> remember. A
> favorite was the all you can eat restaurant, the "Service Dining 
> Room" on
> the ground floor. Customers, vendors, job interviewees and 
> anniversarieswere celebrated there with the department heads 
> Amex Card. Below, were the
> cafeteria were you could watch engineers creating amazing 
> structures on the
> all you could pile on a plate spaghetti or stir fry wok days. 
> Imagine a 10
> inch plate 10 inches high, strength of the garlic bread was critical.
> 
> Aside from the benefits, the building was part of my life (and 
> most of my
> waking hours) from 1992-1999 when I moved with ATT to 
> Middletown. The atrium
> was (before it got converted to cubes) a spectacular space at 
> the core of
> the four enclosed buildings, with a glass roof. The length of 
> the building
> was something over 1000 feet if I remember right. At night most 
> of the
> lights were off with limited lighting on the walkways. I 
> remember being in
> the atrium at 3AM or so during a lightning storm watching the lighting
> directly about me.
> 
> America really needs something like the old (pre 1983) Bell Labs 
> to do pure
> science without regard to profit or corporate utility.
> 
> Steve G.
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: njarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:njarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of Zakaras, 
> Wayne (NE)
> Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 2:24 PM
> To: New Jersey Antique Radio Club
> Subject: RE: RE: [NJARC] Bell Labs - some remarks and memories 
> ONE MORE
> ITEM!
> 
> 
> Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> _______________________________________________
> What kind of "gift shop" was that???
> 
> Notebooks, yep that's what i remember. ALthough I seem to 
> recall a good
> amount of weller soldering staions at the last repair clinic 
> that looked
> familiar, those pliers and wire cutters looked familiar too :-)
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: njarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:njarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of john ruccolo
> Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 2:16 PM
> To: New Jersey Antique Radio Club
> Subject: Re: RE: [NJARC] Bell Labs - some remarks and memories 
> ONE MORE
> ITEM!
> 
> 
> Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> _______________________________________________
> Hi Phil and Wayne,
> 
> What kind of "gift shop" was that???
> 
> JR
> 
> --- pvourtsis at optonline.net wrote:
> 
> > Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> > _______________________________________________
> > I still have some parts from that gift shop in my
> > workshop, excellent quality stuff too.
> >
> > Phil Vourtsis
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Zakaras, Wayne (NE)"
> > Date: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 1:19 pm
> > Subject: RE: [NJARC] Bell Labs - some remarks and
> > memories ONE MORE ITEM!
> > To: New Jersey Antique Radio Club
> >
> > > Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > How could I forget
> > >
> > > THE GIFT SHOP
> > >
> > > The best benefit of working at the labs.
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: njarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> > > [mailto:njarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of
> > Zakaras,
> > > Wayne (NE)
> > > Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 1:17 PM
> > > To: New Jersey Antique Radio Club
> > > Subject: RE: [NJARC] Bell Labs - some remarks and
> > memories
> > >
> > >
> > > Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> > > _______________________________________________
> > >
> > > * Ahh, the service cafeteria :-)
> > > * The credit union on site
> > > * Cameras weren't allowed ; who took these pics?
> > :-)
> > > * I think I saw my old car parked in the lot in
> > one picture.
> > > * Anyone else moved to Juniper Plaza in Freehold
> > during
> > > reconstruction?* Who raced the dragstrip from the
> > water tower to
> > > the main bldg?
> > > * The mysterious EMI bldg hidden in the woods???
> > >
> > > Yes, the memories
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: njarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> > > [mailto:njarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of
> > Peter Markavage
> > > Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 12:29 PM
> > > To: njarc at mailman.qth.net
> > > Subject: [NJARC] Bell Labs
> > >
> > >
> > > Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > If you ever drove by, or worked in, the Bell
> > Laboratories
> > > location in
> > > Holmdel, NJ, here is a slide show of probably some
> > of the last
> > > picturesyou'll see of the facility before it gets
> > demolished.
> > > Have fond memories
> > > of dumpster diving each year during annual lab
> > cleanups at this place.
> > >
> >
> http://gallery.planethofmann.com/album/366922/500721#imageID=16651844
> > >
> > > Pete
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > NJARC mailing list
> > > NJARC at mailman.qth.net
> > > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/njarc
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > NJARC mailing list
> > > NJARC at mailman.qth.net
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> > >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > NJARC at mailman.qth.net
> > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/njarc
> >
> 
> 
> 
> 
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