Beth Omer

Beth Omer (or just "Betho" for short) joined the HP site in Fort Collins, Colorado, straight out of college, and began in our department writing technical manuals. After a couple of years, she discovered that that wasn't her cup of tea, so she joined the other half of our department: Technical Support. While there, she was responsible for some high-visibility projects, and though I don't think she ever got phone calls from Lew Platt (HP's CEO) or Wim Roelandts (another high-level manager, right under Lew), she was in the limelight more than she wanted to be. She also worked with "earlybirds"--the beta testing program for new hardware--and this too was exceedingly demanding. After a few years of Tech Support, she decided she wanted to go back to school and become a Physical Therapist. So, this poem was written as she left HP to go back to school.

While working at HP, Beth used almost every vacation to go down to the beaches of Mexico; Cozumel was a favorite spot. She also liked downhill skiing in Colorado.

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O Betho! Our Betho!
Copyright 1994 David Arns

O Betho! Our Betho!
It seems so short a time
Since you began to work for us
    and start your corporate climb.
When you came in, you did begin
    to do some manual labor,
When this got old, you left our fold
    to be instead, our neighbor.
It was write! Write! Write!
It got real old quite fast,
And so you joined Support and said,
    "I'm finally home at last!"

O Betho! Our Betho!
So soon your job's grown dim?
You've had it with the interrupts,
    and calls from Lew and Wim?
The earlybirds and all the words
    the customers were shouting,
The graying hair from Teleshare?
    You feel you need an outing?
Here, it's work! Work! Work!
You just can take so much,
And then you need a few years off
    to dive and ski and such.

O Betho! Our Betho!
Your time is growing short!
You've said that you have had enough;
    you're going to leave the Fort!
To leave HP and do PT
    is what you're now desiring;
We hope you pass your every class--
    (HP's no longer hiring. . .)
For it's books! Books! Books!
They're in your future now,
And studying for final tests
    with sweat-bespangled brow.

O Betho! Our Betho!
When you are gone from here,
Th' economy of Cozumel
    will surely shed a tear.
For when in school, the money you'll
    have won't be abundant;
The food you'll eat, your special treats,
    will start to seem redundant.
For it's books! Books! Books!
From them you'll have to learn,
And study 'til all hours while
    the midnight oil you burn.

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