Of Deer and Men
My introduction to Wisconsin
Audio narration by David Marlow
It seemed like a trick question.
I was working for GE Medical (now Healthcare) in Texas and had traveled to Wisconsin for an interview about a promotion to a senior engineering position at the headquarters office.
One of the questions the interview team asked me was whether I liked to hunt or not.
I thought long and hard about the answer, wondering what they were looking for by asking the question.
"I don't, but I'm fine with hunting,” was my answer.
"Good," they said in unison, "We need someone to work during deer season when everyone else is on vacation."
Thanksgiving is gun deer season in the Great Dairy State. This was my first introduction to the culture of what became my new home.
The marvelous cartoon artwork by Daniel Seex is a fun play on deer stands or ‘blinds,’ where hunters hang out waiting for deer.
For many families, deer season is a generations-old family tradition; for others, it provides a significant part of what they eat over the winter.
Embedded in the question was the reality that I was the first person headquarters had hired who wasn't from Wisconsin.
While they appreciated me as someone who could cover hunting season, that was the beginning and the end of my welcome.
Unlike my years in the military, there was no onboarding or supporting infrastructure of people to help me acclimate to the new area. We had no idea where anything was, how to get a Wisconsin driver's license...nothing.
At about that time, the company wanted to create a Global Support Center, and I took the lead in creating a hiring and onboarding program with mentors and sponsors. We started hiring new people from all over the world, not just the country.
The success of that leadership effort launched my career in a new direction. I moved into management roles and, ultimately, executive leadership.
All because I didn't know where to shop in Wisconsin.
I also took up 'smoking' around that time. The team of engineers I was part of had a lot of smokers. When I started, they could smoke at their desks but eventually had to move outside.
One day, I was on a long call with a hospital, and when I finished, I looked around, and everyone was gone. Then, I could see the entire team outside taking a 'smoke' break, even the ones who didn't smoke.
The non-smokers, like me, got tired of handling the support lines while the smokers took breaks, so we all decided to become ‘smokers’ and take a break together minus the cigarettes.
(It should be noted I did NOT actually take up smoking.)
More than three decades have passed since that fateful decision to become Cheeseheads—for the uninitiated, that is a nickname for people from Wisconsin.
We've added a daughter, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and four grandchildren, all born in Wisconsin.
While never becoming a hunter, I've grown to love other cultural icons like frozen custard, butter burgers, summer music festivals, good beer, and even the local football team. I'd say it all worked out.
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I had a similar experience while stationed in Montana, but I actually did try hunting. Thankfully, it was with a friend who had a deep respect for animals and their role in the ecosystem, so we said a blessing over the deer we shot and did the entire process of converting the deer into packaged meat ourselves.
Not for me in the long term, but a good experience of discomfort and learning.
Thanks for your reflections. It's amazing how we become the thing we hoped would already exist in a place that clearly needs us to be who we are.
Oh I was also with GE Medicals when I started my career. I used to be in the team that was responsible to contact FE and connect with doctors. Just reading your story made me feel nostalgic. Even we used to take fag breaks but to go and have chai !!