He took a chance on a young kid, my memories of Dr. France' Rode'
Exactly one-year ago today, the world lost a great and very kind man. That man was Dr. France’ Rode’. A man I was blessed to have worked for. He hired a green horn electronics technician and taught him how to be a great R&D electronics technician and that was 36 years ago. France’ loved his family and you could see it in his interactions with his wife and his daughters. I remember a picture Maja made in High School, it was either charcoal or pencil of a wolf with a mountain range in the background he had brought into Sielox and had in his office. I offered to buy it, but he said no, that he was getting it framed and was going to hang it in his office at home. He told me anything his daughters chose to do they did really well. I could see the pride in his eyes when he spoke of them. France and I had many a heated discussions over my tenure at Sielox. I remember the day he quit smoking cold turkey, I was quite proud of him and even more proud when he admitted there were a few times he REALLY wanted a smoke, but he stayed the course. It showed me a man of character and ethics. After he quit smoking, one of his contract employees told me of a time he set his office on fire at HP. France’ would flick his lit match in the trash, thinking it would self extinguish, well that did not always work. I asked him about it, he at first denied it, but then owned up to it and his description of what happened, was almost comical, as France’ could be that way sometimes. I did not lose any respect for him over that, made him that much more human. Another time he came into work on Monday morning all bandaged up-head, neck, shoulders, and arms. Being the smart ass I was when I was younger, I said, “ Let me guess, Mia got mad at you.” I can hear him still yelling,” NO, I was leaning on the patio table talking on the phone and lost my balance, and fell through it.” I really rattled his cage with that. I liked France and I did like teasing him, but never lost respect for him. I remember one time we were altering the backplane on a computer we were using to control the Sielox System 10. Well I left the back off after reassembly and was running software diagnostics on it overnight. Well, France’ the night owl he was, was working late and decided to install the latest software on it. Well he reached behind it to hit the reset button, instead he put his finger on the high voltage-switching transistor of the switching power supply. The next morning, I caught hell. “Michael, button up that computer, I damn near electrocuted myself last night.” “ Jesus Christ, I still don’t have any feeling in my finger.” You would have to have been there to see his articulation; he could have been an great actor. France’ had the flare for the theatrics. I remember him talking to me about his great love Mia, they grew up together, and she went to the US ahead of him. She sent him a letter and it had a picture in it of her holding a baby. He said his heart sank and a few days later he was on a ship to the US. He was afraid that she married and that was her baby. Turned out the baby was the people’s she was staying with. France’ was scared he had lost his true love forever. He told me those few days were hell for him. France’ gave me a Christmas present in 1985, it was a bottle of Crown Royal Scotch, vintage 1974, I kept that bottle sealed until 2005. The greatest gift France’ gave to me was he taught me the ability to read the face of an oscilloscope and how to discern the difference between noise and the signal you are expecting to see. It took me quite a few years to develop the skill, but I use all the time now. I know I tried his patience to no end sometimes, and I am certain if you could ask him he would admit it. There are many more stories and memories I have of working with this great man. When God called France’, Heaven became a much greater place.
Michael M. Malcewicz