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so they bought it and took it back to the
hotel. “How was it?” I asked.
Bill smiled and replied, “The box was
slightly better tasting.”
Bill noticed many cultural differences
while on business in Russia, from the
clothing Russian businessmen wore (and
didn’t wear while traveling), to the regu-
lations on planes and trains. It was very
different fromwhat Bill was accustomed,
to say the least.
Mi Casa es Su Casa
While in Russia, Bill was invited to the
home of an important executive of the
company with which he was working.
The executive’s home was a very basic
four-bedroom apartment in one of the
many typical high-rise apartment build-
ings. The parking lot outside was full of
pot holes. The long hallway leading to the
apartment was lit by one bare light bulb.
In contrast, when the Russian group
came to America to work, Bill invited
them to his home. They were amazed
at the large four bedrooms, but even
more amazed that there were three
bathrooms—in one home! One man
walked about all evening, saying under
his breath, “Three toilets. Three toilets!”
Mary Anne, Bill’s wife, thought she
would serve them a traditional Ameri-
can Thanksgiving dinner even though it
wasn’t Thanksgiving. The Campbells ex-
plained this plan to their guests, and the
Russians were thrilled—they thought
the country actually had rescheduled
Thanksgiving just for them!
An Appreciative Viewpoint
Bill’s walls are covered with letters of
commendation, as well as pictures of
various rockets being launched. Have
any of his sons followed him into engi-
neering? No, he said, they all chose dif-
ferent career paths; but, his grandson
recently graduated fromWest Point with
an engineering degree.
I asked Bill if his visits to Russia gave
him a greater appreciation for this coun-
try. “I’ve always appreciated this coun-
try,” he replied with a smile.
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