Robert M. (Bob) Myers, Sr

I agree with you. That is the thing that I did when I came down from Knoxville. It was one of the first things that I did to set up my contacts with ASHRAE and try to get involved with the leadership of ASHRAE. It's something that enables you to just to get to know all the people in the area real quick at both the social and a technical levels.
It means a lot what you said. In technical meetings in Roosevelt in Georgia, we used to talk on pumps and I learned more about pumps, selling pumps. Anyway, that was one of the first things I remember when we first talking about it, pumping, we had no idea that we could get into variable volume pumping, that was something that I heard of back then. But the other thing I would like to remember about ASHRAE is that, I think, in Jacksonville, we had a group as a whole compared to what I see in that they have in other cities. What I mean by that is that I've never seen people bring up grudges that they have even with a contractor or an engineer or vice versa. Usually, when in the meetings that I have been to, and maybe I'm naive, but its been a meeting and everyone there is a member of ASHRAE and its not pairing off and childish. I've talked to many factory salesman that I have discussed the same thing with and they have been to meetings with me and they agree that we have a real good group and they would express that a lot of places they've been to it hasn't been that way, petty issues among them and interrupted the meeting which is always bad and I'm proud, my thoughts have been that way through all the years.

One thing that some of the people reading this on a regional level may not understand is what your company is about, Tell me.a little bit about R. M. Myers Company.
Well like I said I worked for a engineering firm, I saw sales representatives come in and it looked like to me something that would be interesting and certainly give me a chance to get out and see people, talk to people, learn about things that I probably wouldn't have gotten a chance to be in a one engineering firm where day in and day out activities were pretty much on the same track. After I came down and after five years with another company, I traveled in the northern part of the state. I gotten familiar with HVAC equipment both on the air side and hydronics. Fortunately at that time, there were many manufacturers looking for representatives just in the northern area. The way the representative business originally started out that Atlanta was the HUB. Gradually they moved even far down as Miami, they wasn't a whole lot ##_proof_## between and it was pretty much impossible for a lot of representatives from Atlanta to get into this area or even from Miami. So it was pure luck and good timing for me and I decided I wanted to get into business on my own, I had a company that was looking for someone hungry - that was raising a family, I had four little children at that time, most of them pretty much babies. They saw a hungry representative and figured I would have to get out and try and hustle and do a good job.

You've sort of kept the business in the family with Bob Jr..
Yea, my son was only a year old when we moved down here and he got interested in the business when he got old enough and didn't like and decided he go back to college and went back and changed his mind and decided to come back and he got into electronics because of his experience in physics. We have two companies and he is in the electronics, variable speed and I'm still with the hydronics, so between the two of us it works out quite well for the both of us.

You still have the filtration products.
Filtration products is something that I've always had from the first day I got into the business, and have always had the filter business ever since.

Are you a graduate engineer?
No, I would say I had almost six years of college and I never did get a degree. I went a 1 V2 years to Clemson, prior to the war, I enlisted in the Navy and after about two years, I got an appointment to V-12 program.
Oh goodness.
Each year they took a certain number of people from what they call the fleet and they sent me up to Georgia Tech. Unfortunately my eye sight was very poor and after I had been there for awhile the Captain in the Saturday morning inspection noticed that I had my glasses and he took a look at them and said these don't look like there acceptable and they gave me another eye physical and I didn't pass it so I went back into the Navy. After the war which was four years later, I went back to Clemson and spent another 1 V2 to 2 years and finally I gotten tired of going in school and out of school and decided it was time for me to get out and go to work, I didn't know if that was a good thing or not went back on it, I don't know.

Nah, I think that from everything I've seen. you've done well. You have a wood business here, well respected. What are some of the positions that you've held with our local Chapter here in Jacksonville? I know that you were a past President, did you go all the way un the ladders or did you miss a few or did you have any chairs. like membership. refrigeration or research or anything like that?
Back then we were pretty loose (laughing).

That's what I've heard from some other interviews - that it was to a large extent a party organization, a lot of people tend to think that we need to just go back and make it one big party every year (laughing).
I'm sure I've served as either a Secretary/Treasurer, possibly Vice President, I don't think I've gone through each step. I really don't think at that time we were really keeping too much of an account who was doing what except for the presidency.

That's what I've sort of gathered in other interviews. Any memorable people who you would like to say a few anecdotes about from the old days back then.
Well, as you know that in the last ASHRAE bulletin they had a little skit on honorable mentioned, I guess that fact that I have continued to be a honor roll owner of an ASHRAE research is one of the reasons that they had that in there and saw where I've originated the Bull Oyster Plaque which is still there and I continue to have made up every year. A couple of years later we decided that since it went over so well, we decided to do something on the ridiculous side and that is where we formed the toilet seat with donkey there and that was called more like Society of Southern Youth Award but everyone else knew it was you know what.

Right, right! Now I finally finding out who started all this, you know I didn't know this but the Chapter has been trying to figure this out for several years and until the last month of so, I don't know if any of the present board members really realize it.
Also at that time, I had the Myers players, I was screen writer and Frank Houser and Bo Beckwith put together three skits, the Wheeler and Dealers was the first one; the Gold Plated Crapper was the second; third one was OSHA, EPA and the beer barrel. We had members participating and we all dressed for the occasion and it was very comical, lots of fun. I guess every now and then I look back at some pictures and there is a lot of people who I would like to remember who was always active members, Walt VanWaggenen, who I became very friendly with until his last dying days, poor guy. His father, I use to think he was up in the ages but I'm probably older than he was now. But Pappy VanWaggenen formed the first real engineering firm in that they got some of the large buildings downtown and Pappy I knew when I first got down here and he was always a good active ASHRAE member and his son Walt is really my contemporary and now his son is now doing quite well in the engineering field, three generations. I think that is worthy of remembering.

I agree. Would you ask young people to consider a career in engineering. I guess your son is an example of someone that has pursued that.
Yes, he got disenchanted and he got back into it. He likes the engineering part more than the every day in and day out, sales, battle of getting new equipment there and getting everything done and getting it done correctly. As far as young engineers going into engineering, I think they have a much more difficult time now then they did when I came along. A lot of the rural engineers just getting started now, the principals in the firm,. The few lucky ones that are still around and what I've seen a lot of good young people come in, to me it seems if you start in real small firms its a difficult situation. They either have too much or not enough to do and a principal in the firm to be fortunate enough to have an even flow of work. You don't want someone on your payroll when you don't have to work. You get into a bigger firm, you are just one of many. Its a number of years before you've gotten enough experience that you actually put in a position where you can make some of the decisions and that seems to me that its so much more now to know about. As I said before, we taught series and parallel pumping, the way you put expansion tank and other valves, two way or three way valves and now you got variable speed, variable volume, just so much more that you need to know. In electrical we get involved in that all the time, on jobs there is just so much that you need to know and not the young person's fault coming along cause a lot of them are real eager and have the ability and there is just so much that you have learn after you get out of college.

I agree, your education really begins after you start to work as an engineer or engineer in training.
If you're lucky enough to be with a firm where they have enough time that they can give opportunities to get involved but if its a real busy firm and they don't have the time to mess with you so to speak, its hard to advance.

Any comments in general about the ASHRAE society.
All in all I've always felt that the society, particularly here was top notched. As far AWHILE national, I think they've gotten to the size now its really it seems to me getting older not able to put up with all the push and shove along the daily routing that it takes to attend the ASHRAE meetings so I am less inclined to go the national ASHRAE shows and unfortunately have not been involved. I know most engineers, it means a lot to them because of all the seminars, particularly if they specialize in the field, I think that must be helpful to the industry to be able to go and have shared experiences with people, so called experts in that field.

Its a great thing for a young person to see one of the shows and get a good feel to see what the industry is all about. how diverse we are, how big we are.
Most people in big cities haven't heard of ASHRAE and have no idea who we are until we get there and then they know. They finally can't get in any hotel room for sixty miles and they know there is a lot of people in attendance.

Well I think that covers a lot of the general questions that I had in mind from my list and sort of the questions that I have asked other people. Is there anything else you would like to add.
I think that pretty much covers it, Dick, only a small complaint that I've had and I know everyone has to complain about something is I've been a member of ASHRAE and I've tried contribute to financially to different causes, there was a time when every time we turned around they were having a dance and we were asked to donate prizes, golf and things. But like everything else, after awhile the same people seemed to be called on all the time for the different purposes. Its like every day on the phone the charities and they want me to donate to the little sisters of the poor and they want me to contribute. I agree with all of it and I just can't afford all of it, I've told a couple of people, hey look, you know I'm giving the national society and they want this, and this and that, seems to me that it was getting out of hand but I don't think its been that bad lately.

Well, its been my observation, although this is your interview, but we probably need to share with the responsibilities throughout our Chapter a little better. It seems that we have a few firms that are participating heavily and we have other firms that aren't participating at all and that their choice, its what we all do for the common good, that makes ASHRAE what it is. I think this area supports ASHRAE very well. I think the bigger problem here seems to be the lack of support from the engineering firms.
I know that some of the bigger firms have been the ones expect to really participate forget who they are. That's been a concern of the board for some time and were trying to figure out how to set those people involved and we just can't meet with much success. its very difficult to even get some of the folks to talk to us. I don't like to drive at night around town and come back after dark and the traffic and I don't like it. I think a lot of our wives are happy that were doing better and not have fallen victim of some of the active young people in the club that want to continue the meeting on a little later than the ending.

That probably is a good point. I appreciate your time. I've certain enjoyed it and you are one of the first persons that I met down here and you've been a good help to me over the years even though I know you don't get all of our jobs out there. you're certainly a great resource.
I appreciate that. Well, I better get going.

I appreciate it again.
I hope I haven't said anything that causes you to get in trouble.

No. what were trying to get here is honest opinions of everybody and like I say, that's the way we're going to get better.

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