Like many Kodak families, we grew up watching our father head off to work each day.
We didn't know exactly what he did, but we knew he loved Kodak. And they loved him.
Kodak valued its workers and took care of them. That Kodak paycheck put food on the table, kept the heat and lights on and put kids through college.
There were no layoffs, no bankruptcy filings, no worries.
If you worked for Kodak, you were set for life.
There were summer picnics for employees and their families, Christmas parties where we sat on Santa's lap and toured the office where our fathers worked.
You didn't own a camera or film unless it said Kodak on it.
Then in the early 80's things began to change. There were layoffs. Thousands of them.
I remember being 8 months pregnant in 1986, standing outside Kodak Park.
We watched as Kodak workers were escorted by security to the door. They were handed envelopes, not large enough to hold the decades of things they had accumulated over the years. They were then walked out the door.
Some were crying. Others stunned. They thought this was the place where they would retire from. They thought they were set for life.
It was a sad day. I remember my father telling me, he couldn't believe this was happening.
Like many others, he had taken an early retirement package. He left the company on his own terms, with a healthy retirement package and good memories.
This was not "my father's Kodak."
I have heard many people express the same shock today. They have lots of Kodak memories and for some, Kodak has been "in the family" for years.
The place where their grandfathers worked.
But it is no longer that place. Kodak can no longer guarantee workers a job for life. In fact, the company cannot even guarantee its own future.
Though this is sad, we must listen to what some analysts are saying. Perhaps there is a silver lining. Maybe this move will help Kodak re-group, get the cash it needs to survive and grow again.
Hopefully, that will happen. But one thing is certain. The Kodak that once was, will never be that again.
And workers must now worry not just about their future with the company, but their pensions, if they do lose their jobs.
Retirees too have to worry if they will lose that pension, that they worked all those years to earn.
At least we Kodak "families" have our memories.
Patrice Walsh, Reporter
