A trip to California

In the early 90’s I was invited to join a meeting of Castrol Technical staff at Newport Beach California. In America Castrol was growing its Production Engineering business by taking over a number of smallish independent producers, So that a more coherent group business could be built the technical leaders met twice a year. It was the custom that a leader from international Research and Development in the UK would join them and I was the attendee on one occasion.

I already knew that there was some feeling that the central R&D was too powerful and didn’t take account of the know-how in all the small companies. A colleague at the previous meeting met with some Anglophobic attitudes and he was pointedly given a tour of Valley Forge Revolutionary War site.

It was arranged that I would go via Chicago and meet up with some US colleagues at the HQ of Castrol in the US. I met with John C and the technology head John H. It was explained that John C and the lead technical man from a local company recently bought, Dave, and myself would fly on to Los Angeles and meet up later in the day with John H who would be joining us for dinner before we all went to the meeting site a little way down the coast.

We flew out with American Airlines with all black hostesses. As the flight progressed these hostesses were obviously having a party time in the adjacent section. They had the passengers doing in seat exercises and were doing some sort of concert party. One hostess wearing a blonde wig was imitating someone I didn’t recognise. I commented to John C and he replied “ they all get wacky as soon as we cross the state line”.

We arrived in late morning and hiring a car, drove to a restaurant at Venice Beach. My main memory is sitting in the balmy outdoors in January. After a brief look at the beach we then drove to La Brea tar pits. Millions of years ago animals including pre historic ones had become trapped in the natural ponds of tar. Their bones had been rescued and were in an exhibition, while the tar pits still existed forming a strange oasis in suburban Los Angeles.

We then drove up the Pacific Coast Highway and around Hollywood. By the road were hawkers selling maps of stars houses but we just drove around using John C’s local knowledge having a relative living in the city. I don’t recall any notable names.

We then went back to Los Angeles International to meet John H’s flight. When he arrived to my astonishment John C embraced him fussing as though he was meeting a long lost friend. They had been together earlier that day. I was astounded, there was no way I would have treated my boss like that. Don’t worry said Dave he is always like that.

I thought this was the extent of John C’s jokes at his bosses expense but this wasn’t the case. We all went to a restaurant where it amused John C to imagine that John H was irresistible to women.” Look John, they keep looking over to you” he would say of a nearby group of ladies. Now John H who was just an averagely appearing guy took all of this in good stead, obviously used to this long standing joke. To me, who saw John H as a very big wheel in the company to be treated with some deference, this was absolutely amazing behaviour.

We went on that evening to the meeting hotel at Newport Beach where we started the next day in a lovely meeting room overlooking the beach. There was no time for breakfast in the dining room, instead food was brought to the meeting room and we grazed the buffet as we talked. It was immediately obvious that Curtis was an Anglophobe and resented my presence. Nevertheless the meeting proceed fairly smoothly. In the evening we went out to a Mexican style restaurant except that this expression was avoided and thus we had to say “South Western American” food. Whatever it was called it wasn’t to my taste.

It emerged that Curtis had resented what he found was the arrogant attitude of one of my colleagues. At the end of the meeting he allowed I wasn’t too bad for an Englishman. I felt I had done my bit for international relations.

The First Gulf War was just starting and John H, who bitterly opposed it, was firing off emails of protest. I recall watching some of the CNN coverage in my room. They were reporting from Bagdad showing those fantastic pictures of cruise missiles passing down their street.

After the meeting myself and some others visited the local Castrol plant. It was much like the UK plant at Hyde with which I was familiar but with one or two nice touches added. At lunch I commented on the drink that was served. It looked like Coke but I was soon told it was iced tea.  I have always enjoyed this on visits ever since.I took the opportunity to buy a Castrol jacket. I was amused by a cartoon on the wall of the secretary’s office which I copied to take back. It was of a gingerbread man and the caption said ”The ideal man-He’s small, he’s sweet and if he gives you any hassle bite his head off”