The Grant Years, 1958 -
Writing My Way Through Chicago, Detroit and New York
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
1. DAY ONE.
I was feeling pretty chipper as I walked along
As a matter of fact, “feeling chipper” was probably an understatement—I was almost giddy with delight. Man, what a relief it was to be going back to work. That unemployment line was for the birds, and it had been a gruelling two-and-a-half months of job hunting—interview after interview after interview. All because I’d noisily quit my previous job barely ten minutes after having been fired.
Quit barely ten minutes after being fired, you ask? Well, yeah, I guess that remark deserves a little explanation. It happened like this:
Two-and-a-half months ago, I was writing copy for Erwin Wasey, Ruthrauff & Ryan, another
Then one day I was summoned to the office of Fred Wachter, the agency’s General Manager.
“I’m disappointed in you, Wally,” he said flatly, hardly waiting until I’d settled into the chair in front of his desk. “Damn disappointed.”
I raised an eyebrow. What the devil was going on?
“I hear you’ve been looking for another job,” he said. “So I’m going to make it easy for you—you’re fired.”
That called for two raised eyebrows. Then I managed a feeble, “Fired? Me? Why?”
“I told you why,” he said. “I can’t trust a guy who wants to work for someone else. Apparently, almost anyone else. So pack your things and be out of here by the end of the day.”
Suddenly consciousness kicked in and I realized what I was hearing. And what it meant. The puzzlement was quickly replaced by anger. You sonofabitch, was my first thought, but a small remaining shred of reason told me that wasn’t the best thing to say, so I managed to control myself. Barely.
“What makes you think I’ve been looking for another job?” I finally asked.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
November, 1958. A sunny day and I was feeling pretty good about things. I’d been writing ads and commercials in Chicago for over eight years, and found it both rewarding and satisfying. Heck, I’d only been fired once.
Even that wasn’t all that horrible; my boss offered to cancel the firing, but I told him to forget it. Who wants to work for a guy who’s just fired you?
So that day I was on my way to my new job at Grant Advertising. Good job, good agency. Things looked terrific. But how was I to know that in a year I’d be transferred to the Detroit office to work on the big Dodge account?
And how was I to know we’d lose the account within days and transfer me to the New York office?
And how was I to know that New York would be fun for a while and then a pain in the neck?
And how was I to know—?
Well, you get the idea. And I hope you enjoy coming along.
About the Author
Wallace J. (Wally) Gordon has been writing for a living for something like forever—fifty-nine years and counting—and after piling up mountains of rejection slips for short stories and a novel, he made a successful and satisfying detour into the advertising business, writing ads and commercials for clients ranging from Coca-Cola and Dodge to the neighborhood bank.
However, after almost forty years of the advertising wars, he decided enough was enough, and is now writing books for himself, his wife and kids, and anyone else interested- THE GRANT YEARS, 1958-, is one of seven memoirs he has written. So far.
Enjoy...