Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2021 12:29:03 -0500
From: Rick Zipes 
Subject: Re: OHS one-pager


Here is my story. After OHS, I was planning to go into Science but was not sure
how to spell Science on my application to McGill. I was taught I before E except
after C but Sceince did not look right so I put down Engineering. I graduated
from McGill in Electrical Engineering and then went to Queen?s for a Masters.
Because I did a lot of programming at Queen?s I was hired by Bell-Northern
Research (BNR) in Ottawa to do computer simulations of data communications
signals. As a result, my career for the next few jobs involved data
communications. After BNR I worked as a Data Messaging Service product manager
for Teleglobe Canada (Canada?s International carrier) in Montreal. During my three
years in Montreal, Litwack and I played squash almost every night at the McGill
gym. Also I ran into Fiksel who was also working in Montreal at that time and we
had a few lunches together.

After Montreal, I moved back to Ottawa and started work as Manager Data Networks
at Mitel Corporation. While in Ottawa, I married Helen Karanofsky from NDG and
began our family - daughter Erin and son Kyle. Helen, a Physiotherapist, was
Director of the Ottawa Hospital Rehab Centre. Mitel was an International
manufacturer of telephone switches (PBXs) and semiconductors. We had
manufacturing plants and locations all over the world and I did a lot of
travelling. After a few years at Mitel I became the Director of IT. It was a
fascinating time. If you love technology, Mitel was a great place to be. We had
world-wide email in 1980, used Apple Lisa?s - forerunner of the Apple Mac, had
portable data terminals for use when travelling and were early adopters of cell
phones. We also had two airplanes and a helicopter for travel between locations.
I worked at Mitel for over 20 years until the company split apart in 2001. I
left and become IT Director at Canadian Blood Services in Ottawa. I learned all
about blood donations, blood testing, and records management. After five years,
I retired but was soon offered a short term consulting job at Canadian Payments
Association (CPA). The one month assignment lasted for three years where I was
responsible for the IT Infrastructure group. CPA does the reconciliation between
all Canadian and with some American banks. CPA ?moves? over $200 billion each night
between the banks.

Finally at age 66, I retired for good. Helen and I are serious golfers. We play
about 6 days a week in summer. Since we walk the course - no power carts for us
- we keep in good shape. We also bike since Ottawa is a great biking city with
lots of paths away from cars. We also travel once a year. We have been to every
continent except Antartica.

We tried Florida one winter but discovered we are not Florida people. So we have
been spending winters with our son Kyle who lives in Redwood City - just outside
San Francisco. Kyle is a big surfer and also has a beach house on the ocean in
Santa Cruz. We spend some time there as well. Kyle is a lawyer - went to
Columbia in NYC - and works for Oracle at their Head Office in Redwood Shores.
My daughter Erin is also lawyer. He went to McGill and is currently a VP at
Shopify in Ottawa. Kyle is married to Connie and they have two kids - Lilah and
Max. Erin is married to Michael and have twins - Audrey and Griffin. Michael is
a movie producer and Helen and I have been extras in a film with Cuba Gooding
Jr. However, my part got cut and only my right elbow is visible. The movie is
called Sacrifice. Look for my elbow.

Currently we are hunkered down in Ottawa waiting for the pandemic to be declared
under control.

There you have it. There are nine million stories and this has been one of them.