Scott had just started working at Arthur Young. This was before the company joined with Ernst & Whinney in 1989, becoming Ernst&Young. It was Scott's first training trip. He stayed at the airport Sheraton. He was gone long enough to write a postcard home (back in the olden days before email or texting, when phone calls were long distance). The holes punched in the postcard obscure the cost of the stamp ... it was 20¢, with first class mail being 22¢.
In his postcard, Scott mentions that he's met a lot of nice people and learned a lot, but not enough ... when this postcard popped up, so did some memories that Scott shared...
One night I went out to dinner with Jeff Ockey, who started at AY the same day I did. We got a recommendation from the concierge – a seafood restaurant on a pier. The bellman called a cab and told him where to take us. When we got out, the cab driver gave us a card for the cab company so we could call for a pickup. We had a great dinner and watched the big ships coming and going. And had a great view of the sun setting over the Pacific. After dinner we decided to walk off some of our calories. We followed a nice paved trail along the beach, watching all of the people enjoying the evening. We went fairly far and noticed in the distance the blue and purple sign for Baskin Robbins. Ice cream sounded good so we found our way there, walking through some piers and docks. After we finished our ice cream, we asked for directions to a pay phone so we could call a cab. The nearest was about a mile away at a 7-11 that turned out to be in a sketchy area. We found our way and I put in a quarter and dialed the number from the card. The dispatch asked where we were and I had no idea. She said: “Call back when you know where you are.” After asking several people, we were able to find the address (hint – it is always in the center of the rotary dial of a pay phone if you ever see one) and got a cab ride back to the hotel.
Another night, we decided to see a Lakers game at the Forum in Englewood. The Lakers were in their heyday with Pat Riley as the coach and Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson playing. We got a cab ride out to the Forum which sat in a sea of parking and was in a pretty rough neighborhood. We watched a great game (Lakers won). After the game, we took a restroom break before the long ride back. I was amazed at how fast that big building vacated. We walked around until we found a pay phone and called the cab company who said they would send someone right out. We waited and waited and no cab came. After about 30 minutes, the Forum was all but empty. A custodian – young guy, Asian descent, severe limp, had been watching us and finally came over and said “Why you guys still here?” We told him we were waiting for a cab. He said that no cab would come out to the Forum this late and asked where we were from. We told him we were from Utah and he asked if we were Mormons. We said yes. He thought it was hilarious that “Mooormons from Youtah” were waiting for a cab at the Forum. His language was much more colorful than I choose to transcribe. He ordered us to sit on a bench. We sat. After about 10 minutes he told us to follow him. Hew went to a custodial closet and hung up his vest and grabbed another jacket and said: “Where you need to go?” We told him the Airport Sheraton. He said:”[expletives deleted] That is the opposite direction of where I live!” And then: “Follow me”. We went out of the Forum into what was a pretty cold night. The doors locked behind us. We followed him across the huge parking lot to a very dark corner. There was a hole in the chain link fence which he held open for us. We walked down into an empty cement canal and went about 50 yards and then up the other side. There was a very dilapidated neighborhood that looked like the government housing projects I had seen on my mission. There were fires burning in metal barrels with people milling about. Our guide made a point of telling everyone about the “Moormons from Youtah” waiting for a cab at the Forum. Everyone thought it was very funny. We finally get to what I thought was an abandoned car. He ordered us in. It was filthy and full of garbage and smelled like an ash tray. He cranked the engine which barely responded. I prayed for that car to start. It finally turned over. The windows wouldn’t roll up so it was cold when we finally drove away from the neighborhood. He drove like he was going to a fire – weaving in and out of traffic. It was about an hour to our hotel (2 hours out of his way). He finally pulls up to the big, formal entry of the hotel, to the shock of the bell staff. We thanked him and tried to pay him $50, about what the cab fare had been on the way out. He refused to accept any payment, wished us well and zoomed away into the night.
I have often pondered on these experiences and the many lessons they provided. It is important to now where you are at all times. Don’t judge people by their appearance. Many others.
Here's Scott business card after the Ernst&Young merger ...
