Went to Dale's farewell lunch today.
Dale was my 2nd manager at LM. He rescued me out of AI&T into design. He took me under his wings and showed me the ropes. Under his guidance, I've grown to become a better engineer, a better teamplayer and most importantly a better person.
We didn't see eye to eye on everything. There were nights when I got home and dreaded having such a boss. I'm sure he had evenings where he could not fathom how disrespect I can get. But through all the differences and arguments, Dale did a spectacular job stretching and challenging me.
He was a great manager. He was a great mentor. He was a trustworthy friend and a brother in Christ. I've met his family and he was at my wedding. We can talk about all kinds of things and we'd share with each other our trials, tribulations and triumphs.
Dale always protected me from the wraths of upper management. But was never shy in showing accolades for how I performed. I wouldn't say that was a completely selfless act - if I shine, he shines.
I still remember the day I told him I was leaving. His words were, "You raise 'em, you teach 'em and they grow up and fly away." Indeed, he was also a fatherly figure to me.
I'm not amazingly sad that he's moving away as I was when G, M and A moved back to Hong Kong. But indeed, I got a bit choked up as I made my speech and praise. Good luck Dale. Congratulations and have fun shoveling snow.
Mood: nostalgic
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