We've Come A Long Way, Baby.

In the 1950s, Mom was a keypunch operator for Pacific Intermountain Express, aka P.I.E. In 1949, P.I.E. was the biggest trucking company in the nation. She worked in a large pool of keypunch operators, punching keys for hours, supervised by some tough dame who mandated that bathroom breaks could be taken only at two or three certain times of the day. Poor Mom had to wait to go to the restroom no matter how much coffee she'd had, and as a further insult, was forced to sit next to smoking co-workers all day. How glad we should be that things have changed. Take a look at that behemoth computer! She looks like a little stick of straw standing next to it. I remember visiting her at her follow-up position, punching keys for Kockos Bros. I remember the stacks and stacks of punched cards. She was very fast and could probably have done it blindfolded. Happy retirement, Mom. You have more than paid your dues.