I GET AN AIRLINE ACCOUNT

I was on a roll, the company was doing very well and I was now working on Lufthansa, the German Airline. I was assigned a part of the account and working on Saturday and Sunday for three weeks straight, there was that much to do.

Hunters Point where you can catch gout!

Around the time that this was happening, my first-born was about to appear, along with my older sister Tessie (much older) was about to have her first child. This was February of 1972, and one Sunday as I was waiting for the Flushing line at Hunters Point Avenue, my right foot was swelling up on the instep. It was very painful and unfortunately I wasn’t going to give in to it. Loosening up the laces of my shoe relieved the pressure and on I went.

Der Sherman Airlion

Designing media kits, mailings and magazine ads, I was deep into the airline business of promotion. Working with writers, account execs and production people, we toiled and tried and retried, wrote and rewrote, designed and redesigned until we felt we had it correctly. At noon we would, as we did every day of the week, stop and go to lunch, eating very rich foods and then heading back to the office. The chairman would insist we run a tab at this one seafood restaurant or that Italian restaurant, and even one of my favorites at the time, Friar Tucks. Food and drinks and sign the tab. It was then that my sister Tessie, my older sister (much older) had her son John! The following Sunday as I am about to go out the door to catch the train to the city, my mom calls and asks what my plans are for the day. I tell her I’m going to work and she gives me hell for not seeing my new nephew yet.

The foot was now almost impossible to stand on and once the crush was over, I went to the doctor. The doctor took one look at the foot and said I had the King’s disease: gout! I had gout!

American Airline

After the Lufthansa crush, as I was sitting in my office I get the news from my immediate boss, that since I did so well on the airline account I was getting my own! We had pitched American Airlines and got it, doing the domestic wing of the business only, there was no conflict, and they felt I was ready to do this!

Tomorrow: IT GETS UGLY!