Chuck Berry 1983

Chuck Berry 1983

The year 1983 was a year of transition for me and several of my distant co-workers. For years we worked for The Singer Company – the venerable sewing machine manufacturer. The transition was not personal, it was business.

The president of the air conditioning division of The Singer Company acquired the assets of the division and formed his own company. Singer gave this new company one year to transfer its business records from the mother company’s data processing system to its own. My data processing friends from Auburn, New York; Carteret, New Jersey; Red Bud, Illinois; and Wilmington, North Carolina, worked diligently for eleven months to make a successful and seamless transfer of data from the BIG system to our new little system.

It took us one month to complete the transfer with one day to spare. We took the evening of the “spare” day to celebrate our efforts at the home of the data processing manager who lived in Red Bud. Our new headquarters would at first be in Red Bud before moving to Dallas. Well, to say the least, we partied all night. Our host had only Chuck Berry records. It was an all-night Chuck Berry festival with only eight of us. We imbibed too much, but we didn’t care, even though seven of us had planes to catch the next morning at the St. Louis-Lindbergh Airport. Red Bud is only about 30 miles east of St. Louis.

Tired, sleepy, dragging, and slow moving, the seven of us departed from the same gate, but at different times. We just sat there. After about 30 minutes I stood in order to stretch. As I looked up and down the concourse I thought I saw Chuck Berry. But, no, I thought. I’m just Chuck Berried to death after last night. As the figure came closer I blurted “Chuck Berry!”

Chuck Berry stopped, turned toward us, and walked over. My six companions and I could hardly believe who we were seeing and were now talking with. For about two minutes we were in “Chuck Berry Heaven.” We tried to tell him that we listened to ALL of his music the night before. He sensed that we might still be subject to the effects of intoxicants, but he was gracious and personable. He signed autographs – and then he disappeared into the crowd.

I learned this morning that Mr. Chuck Berry passed away yesterday, March 18, 2017 at the age of 90.

Rest in Peace.