Gadzooks!! That's quite a story. I was downsized out the door with the staff in 1992, so I can relate to your experience, but managed to get my retirement fund intact and reinvest it.

>I got to meet all the guys responsible for the world’s first commercial audio recorder, video recorder, Dolby, and many others. They were so cool! Working with a group of geniuses in a friendly environment was a blast! Not one of those guys thought he was better than anyone else, and they all had such wonderful and funny stories to tell.
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>I worked a bit in radio and television, as I have a FCC Radio Telephone First Class License (with Radar endorsement!). I have been a radio amateur since I was 15 and that was in 1958.
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>My first reel of audio tape was from Robert’s. That was in 1960, when I purchased a Webcor tape deck (which I still have). I did not know that Ampex owned Roberts! I own a semi professional audio tape deck made for Ampex by Teac.
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>I know a lot of stories about Ampex and the importance of the relationship with Bing Crosby. Ampex had thousands of employees around the world. The company was sold and 16,000 of us were fired one day in December of 1989. Merry Christmas. The owner sold all the property and buildings except one in Redwood City, California. Today there are 55 employees. That is another story!
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>Our 401K’s were being taken care of my Merrill Lynch, and had been doing well. The company told us that we could not touch our 401K’s, which we found out was not true, but too late. March of 1990 we received a letter from Ampex, “Sorry, we invested all 401K’s in Executive Live Insurance Company, and they went bankrupt”! There went my $350,000.
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>Tom
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>>Well, . . . I live ten miles west of Edmonton and I have a selection of fine quality snow shovels from which to choose. There's a new ring road around the city now, so a lot of traffic has moved. As for AMPEX, I have an AMPEX 800 solid state tape recorder , so next time you're in the city, I'll let you fix it for old times sake :-) Having spent part of my life in Radio, I know AMPEX very well. Loved the old 350's but not the glass rods in the head assembly.
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>>>My nephew and his family have lived in Edmonton for years, and love it. He said that for excitement you go down to the street corner and wait for a police car to pass. You wave at the police and they wave back.
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>>>The other day I mentioned this to a fellow on a guitar forum and he said that was true until recently, when 70,000 people moved into the city. Now there are traffic jams and it is not very nice, especially when it snows!
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>>>I have two very close friends from Edmonton, and we worked for Ampex Corporation, as engineers. They are so much fun to talk to, and have many stories that crack me up.
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>>>If you go to Edmonton in the winter, do bring a shovel. You may need it. Sometimes snow shoes are the rage.