Interspec News
Issue #9 (Last Updated: May 29, 2007)
Interspec, Life’s a Beach: 1
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At a topless beach in Nice, France, Mike Cannon and John Aspinall are seen working the 1989 European Society of Cardiology meeting. John says to Mike, “Someday we’ll look back on this and laugh.”
That day has arrived: Note: the unnamed woman in the photo once scanned Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II with an Interspec XL! |
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Your subscription to the Interspec News expires with this issue!
Some people have asked how plans for the reunion started. I’ll see if I can remember back that far (about 6 months ago). I believe the idea originated at our holiday party back in December. I have the good fortune to (again) be working with Gary Trapuzzano and Gary and I had been talking about an Interspec reunion for some time. So at the party we mentioned it to Mike Cannon. Mike went into high gear and before we knew it, the Unofficial Reunion Planning Committee was formed where he enlisted such Interspec glitterati as Vince Canonaco and Linda Wadsworth. We set up the website and looked over old employee/phone lists to find out where everyone was. Linda was amazing in this effort...I think she knows everyone on the planet. We tracked down 153 former employees (and out of that 106 people have already paid to attend)! Mike borrowed Ed’s photo albums and we had fun at the planning meetings making fun of everyone in the pictures...including ourselves. We spent more time talking about former times at Interspec than actually planning the event (so I think the reunion should be fun). Mike became the photo editor for the Interspec News and selected the pictures and wrote the captions for the photos we sent to you. Gary and Vince have been working on scanning in several thousand photos from Ed and from many others who sent stuff in.
I really appreciate all the wonderful notes and compliments many of you sent in...and I’m basking in all the praise! However, I do want everyone to know that your emails came from me because I’m the Editor in Chief of the Interspec News not because I’m the sole organizer. Everyone on the committee has put in many hours of work to make this event possible. So at the reunion, please join me in thanking the rest of the committee, Mike Cannon, Vince Canonaco, Gary Trapuzzano, and Linda Wadsworth. (Karen Pinsky helped early on...but logistical problems with the meeting location prevented her continued involvement). Also, please note that all the volunteers paid the same amount as everyone else did to help fund the event (not that I wanted it that way...but one person wrote a check...and the rest was peer pressure). So we’re all in this together...and if you see something that needs done at the reunion...or can stay a bit at the end to help pack up stuff...we’d appreciate it. (And if you care to help us earlier on Saturday...drop me an email.)
We are compiling a photo DVD but due to the volume of images, it will not be done for the reunion. But this will let us include reunion photos on the DVD as well. And...if you have some photos...bring them to the reunion on a DVD or CD and give them to one of us. You will also be asked for your mailing address when you get to the reunion...so please don’t forget to leave it with us. And...if you have any Intespec memorabilia you can put on display...contact one of us ahead of time.
In closing, I have to say my Interspec days were very special for me. I learned an incredible amount watching an idea for a brain monitor go from concept to a commercial product. I was able to apply what I learned in my next company...which promptly went out of business in 7 years (hmmm...I guess I could have taken better notes). But over time, as I’m sure is the case with you, all that’s left are good memories...and I look forward to sharing those with you at the reunion.
See you there.
Dick Moberg
Editor in Chief
Interspec News
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DETAILS
Saturday, June 2, 2007
4:00 to 9:00 PM
The Highlands Mansion and Gardens, Ft. Washington
Food (catered), beer, wine, sodas, band, Interspec memorabilia
Casual dress.
We will have name tags at the door...please pick them up before you enter. That’s your ticket for food and drinks.
$60/person
If you plan to come and have not paid, please call Heidi today (215) 283-0860 ext. “0” and give her a credit card number.
NOTE: We are having the caterers plan for a few more people...so if you decide on Saturday you have to be there and have not paid...please come! Bring a check for $60/person. Your “late payment fee” will be to contribute to the beer and wine (which we are providing...not the caterer...so no problem with bringing some).
News Archive
Interspec News
Issue #8 (Last Updated: May 25, 2007)
Questions?
Come to the Interspec Reunion June 2nd and get the answers!
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We are up to 106 attendees!!!!!
We need your checks (or your firm commitment) by Tuesday, May 29th to give a final number to the caterers. Details are on the website.
Thanks to all of you who have helped spread the word. Final details will be in next week’s edition of the Interspec News.
Have a nice holiday weekend!!! See you in a week!!!
Interspec News
Issue #7 (Last Updated: May 21, 2007)
Message from Ed Ray
Dear Fellow Interspec Employees:
The Interspec reunion on June 2, 2007 will be an enjoyable and memorable occasion. I look forward to seeing you there. It will be great fun to be together again after so many years.
Interspec was a company that achieved tremendous things because of the effort and teamwork of many people. For many of us it stands as a highlight in our professional lives and also as a time of great camaraderie and personal enrichment. The company and its products set new standards in high-performance, affordable ultrasound, especially in the challenging and critical field of cardiovascular imaging. We also created vital new technologies for intraoperative cerebral monitoring, and did highly advanced work in military radar imaging. We should all be proud of what we accomplished together.
The impact of Interspec continues today, especially in medical technology and diagnostic imaging. The high standards, innovation, and commitment to quality that characterized the company have been carried forward by Interspec veterans into a large number of exciting and important endeavors.
A quick and necessarily incomplete survey of the essential roles of Interspec people is quite impressive. Consider that in each of the three current world leaders in diagnostic ultrasound, General Electric, Philips, and Siemens, numerous Interspec alumni have played and now play critical roles in management, engineering, manufacturing, sales and marketing, service, and finance. These former colleagues are helping shape the future of this vital imaging modality.
But the creativity and independent spirit that defined Interspec people led many others into entrepreneurial and small business settings as well. A good many of these are medical technology companies, and they have produced or are working on some outstanding and very exciting developments to advance health care.
It is gratifying to know that many of these new companies are involved in ultrasound. This is quite a list including, Ecton, Penrith, Sonoworld, Ultrasonix, Spectrasonics, Sound Advice, Advanced Diagnostic Solutions, Sonomedix, and Sound Technology, among others.
To grasp the magnitude of Interspec’s continued contribution to the development of ultrasound technology, consider the fact that since the time we all went our separate ways, former Interspec employees have been the inventors on over 125 ultrasound-related patents and patent applications!
Outside of ultrasound, our former colleagues are advancing medical technology by working in key positions at, MacroArray, Galil Medical, Animas, Kensey Nash, Neuronetics, Synthes, CNS Technology, Edge-Medica, Norland, Therakos, Day One Medical, NDMA, EsaOte, Aeromed, OEC, Moberg Research and many more.
So let’s take the time on June 2nd at the Highlands in Fort Washington to look back, look forward, and enjoy the fellowship that made Interspec such a great company!
Sincerely,
Ed Ray
Interspec Founder, Chairman, and CEO
May 20, 2007
Interspec News
Issue #6 (Last Updated: May 18, 2007)
Come to the Interspec Reunion
June 2nd, or be Exiled to Siberia !
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When Ed found out that the 020 program was fine years late, he sent Glenn Crossley, Art Schenck, and Phil Bursky to Siberia for six months.
COME TO THE INTERSPEC REUNION JUNE 2ND, OR THE SAME THING COULD HAPPEN TO YOU! |
We have over 80 registrations so far and we expect to have close to 100 attendees at the reunion! Thanks to all of you who have been digging up ex-employees (uh...not literally). But we still need your help in getting the word out to those who remain on the Missing Persons list (and to anyone we may have forgotten). Check it out on the reunion website above.
NOTE: We will need to give the caterer a final head count prior to the reunion...so if you plan to come and have not sent in your check...please do so as soon as possible.
See you there!!!
Interspec News
Issue #5 (Last Updated: May 15, 2007)
Pennsylvania Governor Declares June 2 “Interspec Reunion Day”
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, May 10th. In a ceremony in the state capital, Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey declared June 2nd, “Interspec Reunion Day”. The Governor issued a proclamation which read:
WHEREAS, Interspec was one of the great Pennsylvania companies, and
WHEREAS, Interspec employees were regarded for their enterprise, integrity, entrepreneurialism, and energy, and
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is grateful for the social, economic, scientific, and medical contributions of Interspec,
I THEREFORE HEREBY declare June 2nd, “Interspec Reunion Day.”
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Interspec Vice President of Engineering, Art Schenck accepts Governor Casey’s Interspec Reunion Day Plaque, while the Governor and Michael Cannon, Interspec Marketing Director, engage in an Irish Bushy Eyebrow Staredown Contest. |
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And in other news.....
We did a “walk through” of the Highland Mansion and Gardens last week. If you’ve never been there you are in for a treat...historic mansion...beautiful landscaped gardens. I can’t believe I’ve been working in Ambler so long and haven’t been there.
As you can tell by these last few emails...we’ve been having a great time going through the Interspec Archives to (hopefully) make a DVD for everyone with hundreds of Interspec photos on it. Thanks to Ed Ray for providing the photo albums that used to be in the lobby at the company...and to others who have sent in pictures and documents. We’ll have some of the classics on display at the reunion.
We have 70+ signed up with checks arriving daily.
Check out the Attendees List to see who is coming.
If you sent in a check, an asterisk will appear next to your name on the list. The list is updated every few days...so wait a few days to see if we have received it.
And PLEASE help us get the word to those we have not located yet. See the Missing Persons list on the website.
And...and...thanks to all of you who have been helping us locate people.
See you there....
The Unofficial Interspec Reunion Planning Committee:
Mike Cannon
Vince Canonaco
Dick Moberg
Karen Pinsky
Gary Trapuzzano
Linda Wadsworth
Interspec News
Issue #4 (Last Updated: May 10, 2007)
Don’t Miss the Interspec Reunion !
Saturday June 2, 4-9 PM
The Highlands Mansion and Gardens
7001 Sheaff Lane, Ft. Washington, PA 19034
The picture says it all. We hope you will join us!
We need your help!!!! Here’s how:
Information about the Reunion can be found here.
Interspec News
Issue #3 (Last Updated: April 30, 2007)
Time, Date, Place
Saturday June 2, 4-9 PM
The Highlands Mansion and Gardens
7001 Sheaff Lane, Ft. Washington, PA 19034
What to expect
First and foremost you will get to spend a fun evening with many of your former co-workers from your days at Interspec roaming the magnificent gardens and mansion at The Highlands.
Food (catered), beer, wine, sodas.
Casual dress
Music by Bill Mauchly (former Interspec employee) and his band, “Flyin Home”.
Gift Bag (?). Please send us any photos of your days at Interspec. We are trying to put together a DVD to give to everyone who attends. Several other items for your “gift bag” are being planned and the contents will be determined by any excess funds we have after expenses and the generosity and time donated by our volunteers. (So the earlier everyone signs up...the more you will get for your money!).
Cost and Payment
$60 per person
Please sign up and pay as soon as possible to help our planning.
Send checks made out to "Moberg Research, Inc." to:
Moberg Research, Inc., 224 S. Maple Way, Ambler, PA 19002.
We prefer checks, but we can take credit cards (Visa, Master Card) by calling Heidi at (215) 283-0860 ext 200
Hotel
We have secured a block of rooms at the Marriott Courtyard in Plymouth Meeting (610 238- 0695) for $89/night for those coming from out of town. They are being held until May 7th and are under the name "Interspec".
And last....
We need your help in making sure every former Interspec employee knows about the reunion. In a few days, we will send out a list of those we have not been able to contact....and we hope you can help us find them. Please tell them about the reunion and send them to the website (just Google Interspec Reunion). Thanks for your help...and we look forward to seeing you there!
See you at the reunion.
The Unofficial Interspec Reunion Planning Committee:
Mike Cannon
Vince Canonaco
Dick Moberg
Karen Pinsky
Gary Trapuzzano
Linda Wadsworth
Interspec News
June 2nd, 2007
Issue #2 (Last Updated: April 3, 2007)
After an exhaustive search for facilities and open dates, we have selected Saturday, June 2nd at the Highlands Mansion and Gardens in Ambler, Pennsylvania, not too far from the former Interspec building. For info, see: www.highlandshistorical.org. The facility includes a historic mansion and beautiful outdoor gardens. So we should be able to have the event rain or shine.
The party will start at 4 PM and will include dinner as well as wine and beer. Since space is limited our first priority is to accommodate as many former employees and their spouses as possible. For this reason, we are discouraging bringing children to the reunion until we know how many attendees we will have. We’ll let you know closer to the reunion.
To cover expenses (food, wine, beer, facility rental, etc.), there will be a per person charge of around $50 - $60. The actual price will depend on how many people attend. The more people that show up, the less it will cost per person.
Please send us an email indicating whether you are interested in attending the reunion. We need to get an approximate count. In our next message we will send you the cost and payment options.
Please help us locate other Interspec employees not on theEmployee List. We want to get the word out to everyone. And if you have ideas for “events” at the reunion... let us know. Quite a few of you asked if you could help...and thanks! We will have more specific tasks in the few weeks and will be in touch.
We hope to see all of you on June 2nd.
The Interspec Reunion Planning committee:
Mike Cannon
Vince Canonaco
Dick Moberg
Karen Pinsky
Gary Trapuzzano
Linda Wadsworth
Interspec News
Issue #1 (Last Updated: February 22, 2007)
Some good news and some sad news in this inaugural issue of the Interspec News.
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Bernard Steinberg, one of the founders of Interspec, died yesterday. Bernard had been on dialysis for several months and took a turn for the worse. He died of a cardiac arrest. The funeral will be at noon on Friday, February 23rd at Joseph Levine & Son, Inc., 7112 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19126 (215) 927-2700.
I had the good fortune to re-connect with Bernard and some of his family over the past few years. After his wife Jackie died, Bernard married the mother of a good friend of mine from Philly, Deborah Block. So I saw Bernard as well as others in his family at Deborah’s wedding, plays that Deborah directed, and other events. We had fun talking about the early days of Interspec.
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We are having the first planning meeting for the reunion on March 7th. Mike Cannon named the committee the Honorary Steering and Organizational Working Group Task Delegation Committee of the First Non-Annual Interspec Reunion, or HSOWGTDCFNAIR. The first item on the agenda is to shorten the name of the committee.
If you have any ideas for the reunion...send them to me or to anyone on the committee. If you want to join the committee send two copies of your resume, a non-refundable application fee of $500, and three self-addressed stamped envelopes....or just tell me you want to help out and I’ll send you the meeting details. The meeting will be at our company in Ambler...just down the street from the former Interspec building.
We’ll be in touch with suggestions from the meeting in a later issue of the Interspec News.
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Please remember to pass on the link to the official Interspec Reunion website to former employees who are not on the list. There are 89 people on the list so far...I’m sure we can get this closer to 200. And PLEASE, send some information about yourself (images, text, etc.) to irina@moberg.com. I’m sure everyone would enjoy seeing a picture and hearing about what you have been up to.
See you at the reunion.
Planning committee:
Mike Cannon
Vince Canonaco
Dick Moberg
Karen Pinsky
Gary Trapuzzano
Linda Wadsworth