For seven years, during my career as a human resource professional, I was fortunate to have been assigned to the Sylvania plant in Bangor. The learning I took from that assignment gave me a solid foundation for the rest of my career.

My teachers were the 300-plus employees with whom I spent time each week. These teachers challenged me to move outside of the box, to go where others would not and to try different things that I still continue to do.

My family and I left the Bangor area in May 1976, yet the memories of my seven years as the supervisor of personnel, now called the human resource manager, have yet to dim. The employees comprised a “plant community” in every sense of the word. It was a caring community that worked hard but also knew how to enjoy a good time, as witnessed by the many parties and picnics, to say nothing of the concern everyone had for their fellow employees.

As those employees remaining at 200 Sylvan Rd. prepare to bid farewell to a Bangor landmark, please know you made a positive and lasting impression for which I will be forever grateful. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your community.

Jim O’Brien

Fairfax, Va.