One for ‘Johnny’

I would like to take this opportunity to tell about a personal donation I made to “Johnny,” the boy on the recent cover of Boeing Frontiers (May 2005). Johnny is a resident of Sunshine Acres, a home for high-risk children in Mesa, Ariz.

When I read the article and looked at Johnny, I was touched in so many ways. I noticed that Johnny was holding a worn pair of drumsticks. When I was 5, I began playing the drums. Since then, I’ve played professionally and have recently recorded a single.

With this in mind, I contacted Carol Whitworth, executive director of Sunshine Acres, because I knew it was time to give something back. I have given Johnny my original 1965 Vintage Ludwig snare drum and drum stand (given to me at age 5 by my parents and which I used for 30 years), six new pairs of drumsticks, some posters, and some CDs. I am hoping this will encourage Johnny, give him light and provide the correct direction for him throughout his life. It certainly gave me years of joy.

I am grateful to be part of Boeing Corporate Security in St. Louis, and I thank The Boeing Company for all it does for charitable organizations worldwide.

—Thomas Meinert, St. Louis

What’s the story, BCA?

I wanted to drop you a note letting you know how disappointed I am with the imbalance of your coverage of the company’s business units in your July issue. There are more than 13 pages of coverage of Integrated Defense Systems and its products. There are only three pages devoted to the commercial side of our business, and one of these pages is a full-page photo.

I would urge you to spend more time developing stories about Boeing Commercial Airplanes. As far as I know, commercial still generates almost half the company’s revenue.

—Jim Arnesen, Everett, Wash.

Editor's note: The proportion of space devoted to each business unit varies from month to month. For example, in certain months earlier this year, Commercial Airplanes content, including broader enterprisewide articles that involve BCA, filled up to one-third of the magazine. In July, there was more to BCA coverage than just the Jeppesen article and a story on BCA’s role in an El Al Israel Airlines maintenance initiative. BCA-related articles included portions of the cover story on the company’s research and development strategy (Page 10) and the Industry Wrap piece on the Paris Air Show (Page 44).

Teammates vs. fences

I would like to make a few comments on the subsidiaries story (May 2005). I see an important contradiction between the title “On the same team” and the sidebar labeled “On the other side of the fence.”

I really feel like working side by side to achieve positive and great goals for a common company is not quite compatible with a whole bunch of small teams separated by “fences.”

Additionally, I can confirm that when it’s time for commitment, compliance with policies and procedures, and hard work, the “fence” disappears. So it’s really a shame that when it’s time to share data and information we don’t merely sense a “fence”; instead, we feel like we are hitting a wall.

This “separate distinct relationship” is much more a serious handicap than a help or protection when trying to support and provide the best possible services to Boeing customers, which do not understand the nature of these separations.

—Eric Rosello, Mallorca, Spain

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Boeing Frontiers provides its letters page for readers to state their opinions. The page is intended to encourage an exchange of ideas and information that stimulates dialogue on issues or events in the company or the aerospace industry. The opinions may not necessarily reflect those of The Boeing Company. Letters must include name, organization and a telephone number for verification purposes. Letters may be edited for grammar, syntax and size.