Norm Gere:  

My life career wise has revolved around the grocery business since high school. A classmates father, Dave Simpson (daughter Jeri) managed a Thriftway store in Burien back in the 70's. He hired me my senior year, and I learned stocking and checking from him and his crew. I took that experience with me to Ellenburg where I attended Central Wash. and worked at a small independently owned grocery store called Zittings. No small thanks for that job to Dave and the Thriftway store owner, Richard (Dick) Rhodes, whose father happened to be the founder of Associated Grocers in Seattle. Mr. Rhodes' and mgr. Daves' letter of recommendation got me that job, no question. For those of you with kids going out into the work force in these challenging economic times, don't hesitate to use that part of my story to relate to them the importance of such letters in their own career/job pursuits. That year in E-burg was nuts, I think a dozen or so of us from LHS class of '74 attended what was then CWSC the academic year of 74/75. My academic highlights were Physical Anthropology and French. The extracurricular "highlights" were table dancing (we were literally dancing on a table, fully clothed BTW!) with Gail Parsons and streaking Barto Hall. After my freshman year, I followed the Simpson family up to Alaska and lived and worked with them the summer of '75, during the Alaska pipeline boom. I was a produce warehouseman/delivery driver, and got to see and experience some things that while at the time I took them for granted, I now know I was remarkably fortunate to have lived and worked there during that time. I came back home that fall unemployed but hoping to get on with Assoc. Grocers. Timing wasn...Expand for more