25 years is a really long time, but some things you just always remember. 24 years ago, Steve and I moved west for him to start his PhD at the University of Nevada, but the better jobs were westward, so that is where I interviewed… On Friday, October 13, 1989, I was pretty damn happy. I had a terrific interview with a great biotech company in Oakland, CA. The interview was at 3:00pm, and following it, I jumped onto the Nimitz Freeway heading north. I remember sitting on the lower deck, and looking at the old, cement columns, and the rumbling deck above me, and thinking...this is NOT a place that I would want to be during an earthquake. I noted the time on my car clock. It was 5:05pm. And I’ll always remember doing that…to this day. On Monday, October 16th, I got a call early in the morning. They wanted me to come back the next day (Tuesday) for a final set of interviews, again at 3:00pm. I was incredibly excited, as we were what can only be described as ‘living on the edge” at this point…lots of ramen noodles and Pabst Blue Ribbon. But something strange happened to me about mid-day. I called Steve and I said…”I have no reason for saying this that I can put my finger on, but I can’t go to that interview tomorrow. I just can’t and I am so sorry”. He, as always, said “T, you do what your gut tells you”. At 5:04pm on Tuesday, October 17, 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake hit the Bay area. It registered as a magnitude 6.9. The Nimitz Freeway, exactly where I had been and would have been, collapsed near Oakland and 42 people were killed. Always, and I mean always, do what your gut tells you.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 02:53:09 +0000
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