I began my career with Diebold in 1967 as a key punch operator in the data center at what was then Diebold’s headquarters, an old gray building in downtown Canton, Ohio, on Mulberry Road.

That was a time when operators fed punch cards into a machine that read them to determine a specific function. They were mostly time and expense forms, labor data and invoices. We worked on them all night long. The first punch machines didn’t even put in the leading zeros for dollar amounts. If the amount was $10 and there were 10 spaces to fill, you had to manually type in all the leading zeros.

Next came left-justified key punch machines (they filled in the zeros), followed by floppy disk machines, then an online system.

Back then, if we made a mistake it was corrected by a person manually verifying our work. Today, we have very sophisticated technology in place to detect issues and alert various support individuals using different means of communication. Some issues, when detected, can be automatically resolved without human intervention.

When I started, we were a small company with a hometown atmosphere about us. We were all in one location, so you recognized almost everyone you passed in the halls. The building was attached to the Plant 1 manufacturing facility in Canton, Ohio. You could actually walk down into the factory and watch operations.

The secretaries all worked together in what was referred to as the steno (short for stenographer) pool, and, yes, they typed away on manual typewriters. When you entered the office area, there was a phone switch board. There were phone operators -- just like in the movies -- with the large plugs where you connected calls by plugging them into the board.

You punched a time card when you entered the building and left for the day. And there was actually a bell that rang to start and end the day. When you took a 15-minute break, it was 15 minutes. The dress code was dresses and skirts, shirts and ties. Today, as a professional work force, you work whatever hours it takes to get the job done. And the dress code is business casual. The atmosphere is more relaxed.

It’s always been enjoyable to work at Diebold because of the many friendships I have made over the years, working with the same people, watching our families grow. I have also been very proud of the accomplishments I have been able to achieve as a Diebold associate, going from a key punch operator to the manager of computer operations. I have enjoyed the opportunity to learn as my career progressed. And I am very thankful to have had a career that has spanned so many years.