In 1960-61, our Junior Achievement Company,  J.A. Essco,  produced and sold "plastic windshield covers (with elastic straps)" - for your car.  WHO  WOULDN'T  WANT  ONE?! 

      The purpose of such a product was to make cleaning and scraping frost, ice and snow off of your windshield unnecessary.  Our company consisted of 15 students from various Baltimore City high schools.  We also had two businessmen to advise and guide us through the process of creating a product or service, establishing a business, and selling our product.  In all there were at least 10 Junior Achievement companies and as many new products to manufacture and market.

      Junior Achievement was an after school activity, made up of Baltimore City high school students and local businessmen.  We met one night a week,  for several hours,  at a large Redwood Street building.  The purpose of Junior Achievement was to teach high school students the fundamentals of our business and free-enterprise system.  High school students,  along with their advisers,  through business organization,  business operation,  and business administration would start a small business,  create a product or service - in terms of its utility to customers and its practicality to manufacture.  Students would learn how to purchase raw materials and tools needed to produce the item or product, and to plan production methods and procedures.  They would then "manufacture" the product or create market strategies for the service decided upon.

      Planning sales,  door to door or to retailers for re-sale,  along with administration structuring  (determining product pricing, wage and salary considerations, employee incentive methods, taxing procedures, selling stock and preparing reports, etc.)  were the final management steps in learning how to start and operate a real business.

      Several Patterson students,  including Paul Trattner and myself,  participated in Junior Achievement.  I believe that Paul met his wife to be,  Bernadette,  at Junior Achievement during this time.  Paul and I also walked all the way to Highlandtown (from Redwood Street) one night.  It was a very long walk,  somewhat scary - even in 1961.  We were both relieved when we got as far as 'familar'  Broadway and Eastern Avenue.  We parted ways when we finally got to Highland Avenue and Baltimore Street.

      The Junior Achievement Program was a worthwhile experience for me.  It taught me to understand and respect the rudiments of creating a product and starting a business.  It also helped to foster organizational and management skills that I (and other participants in J. A.) would use throughout our careers - in various capacities and positions.

      I still have one folded windshield cover - although the plastic is scratched, yellowed and somewhat brittle,  kinda like my body these days.  It rests between my high school yearbooks - and my treasured, navy blue Patterson sweater with those large gold buttons and an "Old English" service letter P - and two stars!

      Merry  Christmas...       Christopher  Newman         12/7/2011