In the run up to August 18th, 1986, the date of record for me, a typical training session that summer with my replacement Paul Campo went down something like this:
“OK, Paul, this is the computer inventory of all trademarks owned by The Wellcome Foundation.” I put my hand down softly on a large green binder by my side. Inside were hundreds of pages of green tractor-feed paper held together with white plastic paper ties.
Getting very little on the way of a reaction, I flipped through the pages making a ruffling noise. “You see, the marks are organized by country.”
Again, no reaction.
Continuing to flip through the sheets, I stopped at one page. “Here, this page is for Sudan.”
Paul looked lively all of a sudden. “Dan who?” he asked. “And I don’t know anyone named Sue,” he added. A real comedian.