Tracking Members

The goal of this page is to reflect upon the personal side of our membership. A “stay-in-touch” effort with particular emphasis on tracking those who have retired and hopefully are enjoying the good times beyond their efforts to build and enhance the automatic identification industry.

April 11, 2009
Dave (Zap) Czaplicki

Just returned from an extended ski trip and watched the attached link. It was amazing. CLICK HERE

Jill and I were in Argentina and Chile from September to December 2005. We did a Spanish Immersion course in Bariloche then spent another couple of months climbing and skiing volcanoes and hiking around Patagonia. We were at the viewing sites at the Perito Moreno Glacier and it was November 2005.

Best regards to all. David “Zap” Czaplicki

August 4, 2008
Ed Andersson

Nice reading about you guys! Zap, Silverton had prodigious amounts of snow last winter… c’mon back! Angie and I are eyeballing a new trailerable Hunter is coming out. If we pop for one, we plan to get up your way to cruise the San Juans. Rick, some guys just can’t stay “retired”! We’ll definitely look you guys up if our travels take us in your direction…

Zapper…interesting coincidence that you noted vis-a-vis who responded.

Warm regards, Ed

August 3, 2008
Peter Hicks

I feel very guilty whenever I get any of your excellent emails. I feel that I should be contributing more. The problem seems to be that as I get older and older I am working harder and harder to keep up with myself, though luckily Jenny and I are still enjoying ourselves. This is a picture of our 16th century farmhouse which we share with a staff of 40 in the outlying barns.

As far as we are concerned the barcode business is still fascinating and our enjoyment comes from our many friends all over the world especially of course from Paul Bergé and the Wrights. We have just had a symposium in Shanghai which was enjoyable as our friends in the Far East stay loyal to us and they now send their sons along.

Here in the UK I am Chairman of the village Parish Council and am busy fighting off a development of thousands of houses which would destroy this beautiful part of Oxfordshire. We still have an apartment in Cape Town where we plan to celebrate my 82nd in October. A visit there is always enjoyable as the pic shows.

We have an office in Pretoria where we have developed an RFID system called Oretrak which is proving a success in improving performance in Gold Mines… as for sailing, still a little each year in the Bacardi Cup in Miami… and as for skiing I have to keep going because once you are past 70 the ski pass is free and I am determined to get my money back.

Best wishes, Peter

August 2, 2008
Rick McDonald

Hi Ed and Zap

It was great to hear from you and I’m really glad your lives are going so well. I have been trying to get back to see Chet and Hack for two years and haven’t made it yet.

Wouldn’t it be fun to turn one of the AIDC 100 meetings into a full fledged reunion? We worked hard and played hard and built a life-time of memories. I am looking forward to my 50th college reunion in KY this year and 35th Harvard reunion in Switzerland next year. Rick

August 1, 2008
Rick McDonald

I retired on 9/9/99 and moved from the San Francisco area to the Mendocino Coast about 150 miles north. My new bride, LaDonna, and I built a house on a 67 acre redwood timber property about two miles from the Pacific.

For the last six years, we “unretired” and ran a restaurant and banquet facility in Mendocino. The restaurant was called “Rick’s of Mendocino” located in the Hill House Inn. You all have probably seen the Hill House in the TV series, “Murder She Wrote” where it was called Hill House of Cabot Cove. Running a restaurant is a thankless, 24/7, experience. Thanks to LaDonna, we were much better at the banquet side of things. We hosted over 300 weddings and thousands of banquets in our tenure. We like to think we made a difference to many employees, customers, brides, and non-profit organizations.

Typical of most people in small-town America, we got involved in many local organizations. The first few years we were here, I joined the Board of the local fire district and helped them write a long range plan and then pass a tax to support the volunteer fire department. LaDonna joined the board of the local Habitat for Humanity and the Mendocino Rotary club (where she was Rotarian of the Year – twice). I was treasurer of the Mendocino Presbyterian Church for six years and a member of the board of the Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce for several years.

Now we are down to few responsibilities and committed to travel and rebuilding relationships from the past. For example, we are planning a “Great American Road Trip” in September and October and will be driving from California to South Carolina and back with only a few known stops – including my 50th reunion at the University of Kentucky. We would love to say hello to AIDC 100 friends as we pass their areas.

July 30, 2008
Dave (Zap) Czaplicki

I like the idea of an area on the web site where folks can provide some insight about what they are doing. Every once and awhile, I see something that makes me reflect on the years when I was heavily involved in the Auto ID industry. I have fond memories of those years and all of the wonderful folks I worked with.

As for me, I retired in April 2001. I was part owner of Systems Technical Sales, a systems integrator, in Bellevue/Seattle, WA. We were purchased by Sato Corp., and after a few years they began divesting their interests. I chose to retire while my partner chose to stay with the new owners.

As many of my old business associates knew, I had, and still have, a passion for snow skiing and salmon fishing. My wife, Jill, is also retired and very active. We usually downhill and ski mountaineer about 120 days per year and ski all over the western US and Canada, plus down in Argentina and Chile. I’m also involved in avalanche awareness training for a mountaineering organization. We have 5 grandsons who are enrolled in the ‘Grandpa Zap Sherpa Training School”.

Above is a photo taken in June 2008 of Jill and I skiing with Mt. Rainier in the background. It’s a sickness but still legal. 🙂

We have a 1977 19 foot power boat that we have motored in all the way to Glacier Bay, Alaska and all around British Columbia. We fish for salmon, halibut and crab in the waters around Puget Sound.

We also have a 20 foot camper van that we use to travel around North America. During the winter, we chase the snow and live in the camper van.

We are still relatively active and healthy.

Best regards to all. David “Zap” Czaplicki

July 30, 2008
Ed Andersson

Ed in CO here. Nice thought…it’d be great to hear what old colleagues are up to.

I keep up with the AIDC emails and scan the roster updates. It’s sad to see the growing number of deceased members, many of whom I knew and worked with. So, I think your thought is very timely…we need to take time to stay in touch with old friends.

As Will Rogers said, “Durango is an out of the way place and that’s how the locals like it.” But, some travelers actually do find this place… about 250K visitors/year. Among them was ole pal, Zap (and Jill). Aside from some gray hair and less on top, he hasn’t changed one bit. We always enjoy his company and stories of his many adventures. We met up with old boss/mentor/friend David Collins (and Joanie) in Hawaii a few years back (before Dave’s famous “hole-in-one”). We also meet up each year with former CI close friend, Sam Desai, at his place at Snowbird and during the Indian Market in Santa Fe. Otherwise, we don’t see many AIDC/AIM-ers here or in our travels.

We spend most of our time these days between 6500-11000 feet above sea level. Recreational pursuits include skiing (Purgatory is 20 minutes “up the hill”), sailing on our 25-ft sailboat on Vallecito Lake (8300′ above sea level), playing golf, and dabbling in other activities as energy and time permits. I’m an independent real estate broker here in Durango (www.DurangoABR.com), working primarily as a buyer’s agent for out-of-town/state clients looking for retirement, vacation, or investment property. We also do some modest real estate investments through Andersson Investments LLC.

Lovely wife, Angie, is the big bread winner these days. She’s sales manager and assistant project manager for a major developer. They specialize in planned unit developments (50 to 100 units) and high-end custom homes. She’s currently working on a townhome project in partnership with the Southern Ute Tribe, the country’s wealthiest with assets of $2B+ earned through their natural gas and oil resources.

Angie and I both would like to “retire” and travel more, but, our 17-yr. old son, Erik, is heading off to college next year and none are cheap. He’s a multi-talented thespian (act, sing, dance) who has worked professionally for the last 4 summers as a player in the Diamond Circle Theatre Melodrama and Vaudeville Review—a popular Durango attraction for the last 47 years. (www.DiamondCircleMelodrama.com) He’s already earned the rank of International Honor Thespian in high school playing such diverse roles as Moonin’ champ Roger in Grease to Prospero in The Tempest. He has one goal, professional actor in live theatre.

Volunteer work and veterans affairs has consumed much of my time. I’m a volunteer ski instructor and former board member of the Durango Adaptive Sports Association. We work with adults/kids with physical or cognitive disabilities. I’m active in veterans affairs, particularly wit h the Marine Corps League here in Colorado, serving two terms as state commandant (2003-04), and clocking thousands of miles traveling around the state. I also served a term as Asst. National Vice Commandant for the Rocky Mt. Division (CO, UT, NM, UT). Locally, I ran the Marine Toys for Tots program here for two years. I’m currently heading a fund-raising committee for the Durango Arts Center. My goal now is to do less volunteering and more recreating…

Finally, I have the fondest memories of the AIDC’s developmental era. In retrospect, the things we attempted and accomplished, and how companies and individuals banded together for a common cause, is a remarkable story in itself. We came up with some bold ideas, and, through the dedication and determination of countless people and organizations, pulled most of them off. Along the way, we really had some fun and made some lasting friendships!

In closing, Angie and I would be pleased to offer our hospitality to anyone visiting Durango or southwest Colorado. (Even Oprah came here last year!) Mesa Verde National Park, the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge RR, a well-preserved western town, and lots of outdoor activities are among the attractions here.

I’d love to hear from or about any old friends/colleagues…

Good luck with your October event in Massachusetts!

Best regards, Ed Andersson