To order directly from Tom… US buyers send check to 8387 Abbotshill Rd. San Diego, CA 92123 for $14 + $3 shipping = $17 total. Calif buyers $15.08 (including CA tax) + $3 shipping = $18.08. Thank you.
AMUSING AND TRUE TALES FROM ROSIE-THE-RIVETERS TO ROCKET SCIENTISTS AT A MAJOR AEROSPACE COMPANY
(that company is San Diego’s General Dynamics, also known as Consolidated Aircraft, Convair, Astronautics and more)
When retired employees gather for frequent gatherings, the funny tales fly back and forth. Here we assemble a whole bunch of those stories from people employed over 8 decades at this one major U.S. aviation and aerospace company headquartered in San Diego, California. At various times over 45,000 employees worked for this firm. The many amusing stories here come from operations, products and locations throughout the U.S. and frequent overseas assignments. These jolly tales will stir readers’ humor buttons from their own work experiences, whether retired or currently employed. And needless to say, those with aviation, aerospace and defense ties will find many fun stories they’ll readily relate to.
ACCOLADES FROM THE TROOPS WHO WERE THERE:
“Thousands of people spent millions of man-hours developing the Atlas. But not all of those hours were spent on space business— many were spent on funny business. People, being ordinary people, often had time on their hands. We Rickety Rocketeers at Cape Canaveral had lots of idle time between launches and we engaged in a lot of “Funny business.” Tom Leech has collected many stories of our mischief during those idle hours and provided them to you in this book. Read them and you will see that we were not all “Steely eyed rocket scientists.” — Leroy Gross, Head Rickety Rocketeer
“Fun on the Job brought back memories of life at the “Rocket Factory.” We raced towards building planes and the Space Age with serious intent, but not without truly amusing stories. This book is flavored with the dynamics of exciting times and, is a “missile with a payload” of great entertainment. Reading the anecdotes, one can almost feel the pulse of the aeronautical industry of those years. (I’m still smiling!)” — Kay Quijada, 4+ decades at multiple GD assignments
“I’ve been chuckling at these many fun stories Tom’s been sending us over several years. Seeing them tied to each decade makes a great read and stirs many more humorous tales from my own varied GD assignments and locations.” — Bobby Foushee, VP multi roles
MORE RECENT ACCOLADES
From Ruth Leyse-Wallace, PhD. “Engaging and a good read. He lived it and knew the people and places first hand. This gives Leech, a storyteller with humor and contacts, the inside story of the aerospace industry. Collecting memories from San Diego to Cape Canaveral, from astronauts to engineers, from admirals to secretaries, Fun on the Job covers behind-the-scene incidents from this uniquely American industry. One short vignette after another reminds the reader that where there are men and women, there are foibles, jokes, successes and creativity. This collection will give a reader and appreciation for the human side of how America got to the moon.”
TO ORDER: click HERE.
Fun On The Job is also available at Amazon for $16.00 / 180 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0981769332 (Presentations Press). Click to order a Print copy or a Kindle eBook from AMAZON.
More accolades:
“Readers who like to delve into history will find an enjoyable read in Tom Leech’s new book, It dwells on an era in the mid-twentieth century when, in San Diego, General Dynamics Corporation had contracts with the Federal Government to design, develop and manufacture the Atlas Intercontinental ballistic missile. It was a grim business but not without touches of humor among employees, largely brought about by unexpected situations. The book takes the form of anecdotes from former employees, collected and compiled by the author.” Ed Hujsak, Astronautics Preliminary Design Chief and author of 7 books including The Future of U.S Rocketry
“I found this book to be a very easy read. It is both humorous and historical. It is well organized and is enlightening on how things have changed over the time period covered. It shows that engineers, in general, are normal fun-loving individuals. Having worked for this company for 22 plus years, I learned a lot about the company that I did not know.” — BJ Haire, Engineer in Space Vehicle Guidance and Navigation
“Strap on your seat belt and prepare for a rocket ride of entertainment as you read Tom Leech’s book about the unusual and fun loving moments in a serious, stressful and dangerous business. As a consultant in the aerospace industry during the space race era, I witnessed first-hand many enjoyable and memorable situations at General Dynamics and other aerospace companies just like those that Tom writes about. Humor helps us understand how riveters to PhDs successfully worked together under extreme time pressure to launch some of the most innovative products and systems imaginable. It is rewarding to recollect the light side of such a challenging and demanding business. I recommend this book to all those involved in the aerospace business, even if only a fascinated observer. Overall I find your book a fascinating read with lots of good laughs, but even more interesting tales of technological breakthroughs and stories of the astronauts.” — Paul Sullivan, Founder and Former Managing Director of Global Partners, Inc.
Presentations Press - Stimulating Books from Author Tom Leech 