by Alonzo Kittrels
Tribune Correspondent
If you are working in an office environment today and were in the workplace during the ‘50s and ‘60s, then you certainly realize how much things have changed. Rules in the workplace are different, but most notably much of the office equipment has changed significantly, or even disappeared. Even home offices have instituted major differences. So, what memories do you have of office equipment and supplies that were prevalent in offices, back in the day?
This idea came to mind last week when I received an email that contained a form to be completed. Wanting to be as neat as possible and reluctant to fill it out by hand, I thought about how we turned to completing such forms using an item that was routinely found in most offices in the past. How many of you still have access to a typewriter? I believe many did in the past. It was not only useful in completing forms in the past, but was also useful in typing information on an envelope. You might have memories of every desk in an office having a typewriter. Today, however, you will be lucky to locate one in your company’s storage area.
A mimeograph machine invariably comes to mind whenever I think of office equipment of the past. It was also known as a stencil duplicator. For those of you around during the days of the mimeograph, you will recall that it was often a messy process. Its use involved cutting a stencil on carbon paper with the use of a typewriter and then placing the stencil on a cylinder to allow the ink contained in the cylinder to past through the letters or impressions and onto the paper that was fed into the mimeograph machine. If you remember this, you must recall the need to use sealing fluid to make corrections. The mention of carbon must bring to mind onion skin paper. This was a thin, translucent paper that was ideal for making duplicate copies with carbon paper. It could disintegrate in your hands if you pressed down too hard, yet was widely used in offices, back in the day.
Do you recall the days of Pneumatic tubes? When it was necessary to get an important document to another floor and you did not have time to carry it there, the document was placed in a cylindrical container and popped into a pneumatic tube that would propel it, like a rocket, to its destination. These go back many years and I never worked in an environment where they were used. A fax machine, basic in offices a few years ago, is now gone.
Now, here are a few additional items that were before my days of work and probably predated your workdays. Many of you may have little understanding or no idea of these additional things that I will reference. Are you familiar with handheld devices that were called PDSs or personal digital assistances? Some referred to them as Palm Pilots, a name that may ring a bell. I understand that they were the “must-have” accessory of any ambitious office worker but they became obsolete and disappeared some 25 years ago.
What about the Telex Machine? Before the fax-machine, many offices used a telecopier machine to deliver important documents. This machine had to be attached to a regular telephone and then a call was made to the person to whom you were transmitting. A newspaper advertisement described it as mail that could be accessed over the telephone.
Now here is something that I suspect was not found in many offices and I doubt seriously that one was found in offices where any of us worked. So, what could it be? Brace yourself; it was a bar. Believe it or not, there were some companies that did not believe that a man should be expected to make it through a workday without his mid-day scotch break. If any of you know of a company that provided this to employees in the past, please let me know.
So, what other items or equipment was found in most offices, back in the day, but is unlikely to be found in offices today? Look around your office to see if there is a pencil sharpener. Does anyone use a Rolodex today? Are things that were as basic as dictionaries, rulers, envelope openers, paper clips, staplers and staples easily located? When was the last time you saw anyone using a steno pad or a Dictaphone? Are desk trays, pen tray holders, overhead projectors, easel flip boards, swinging arm desk lamps, time clocks, chalkboards and laser pointers items that are no longer around and have been left to the past?
It was during my first job after college that I recall seeing a secretary pool. You must recall secretaries being grouped in a large area to provide secretarial duties to various offices. Secretary pools have been phased out and are now non-existent. You may also remember switchboard operators. Telephone technology has made these jobs unnecessary. Another item that’s foreign now is the dot matrix printer. These machines were similar to typewriters, but instead of the impression being made by a letter, number, or punctuation, the impressions are made out of the pins on the print head. Does anyone still use airmail envelops? Who still uses interoffice envelops to send mail from one office to another? While not limited to offices and the business environment, ashtrays were generally found in offices. Ashtrays were a workplace staple, back in the day.
I have no doubt that many workers today appreciate the innovations that have significantly improved and increased proficiency in what and how thing are done in the office environment. But, in spite of advancements, I suspect that many that have the need to complete certain specific tasks long for a typewriter that was dependable for completing many assignments, back in the day.
(Alonzo Kittrels can be reached at backintheday@phillytrib.com or The Philadelphia Tribune, Back In The Day, 520 South 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146)
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