Posted by Arthur P. Bloom on Sunday, October 19, 2003 at 11:48PM :
In Reply to: Re: One thing I DON'T understand.... posted by Barry MacLeod on Sunday, October 19, 2003 at 9:57PM :
Sorry, but here's the bad news:
As a former employee of "The Bell System" and a telephone collector/enthusiast/historian, may I point out that the former Bell System, which was comprised of many different entities, has NO real historical archives, is NOT at all interested in any of its heritage, and for all practical purposes, is extinct.
There are several websites that have been put together by folks from every walk of life, former employees and others, who have a common interest in perpetuating the history of what was the largest machine, and largest employer (a million workers, at one time, which represented 1% of all workers in the country) in the world. But sad to say, it's over for AT&T, ("Ma Bell") and her former children.
It has been a very frustrating period for guys like me, and telephone hobbyists in general. Thousands of books, diagrams, blueprints, equipment, and employees' history has been tossed in the dumpster in the interests of modernization and the quest for profits.
For a glimpse of the old Bell System, go to
http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com/index.html
Arthur P. Bloom.