When I was still at Harris Associates, I started working in earnest at building up the FoxPro Users and Developers Group (FUDG).  We sponsored monthly presentations about new techniques for FoxPro programmers.   I got an approval from my boss to use the fancy Harris conference room for meetings.  We started building up our mailing list as I scoured online Fox forums for email addresses.

Our new upscale location attracted a lot of curious programmers.  The adjoining lunch room had bins of free candy, snacks, and sodas.  Our educational programs were top flight.  Sometimes we would fly in an expert from out of state.  This group became another of my families over the years.  These friends would help me keep working almost steadily for the next 15 years.

FUDG became one of the most active of any of the Fox user groups, including in Europe and Asia.  Chicago is, after all, smack in the middle of a whole lot of action and transaction.  FUDG plays the role of a medieval guild.  In addition to the continuing tech education, we gave each other job leads.  We created awareness that, despite its demotion by Microsoft and despite sniping from adherents of other languages, FoxPro is very robust and capable.  It is object-oriented and data-centric.  There are thousands of lines of Fox code still kicking and clicking.

I had taken a risk in bringing my friends, the silver-haired programming dinosaurs, into the Harris Associates office suite for the monthly meetings.  When my superiors were making moves to get rid of me, they seemed to enjoy telling me to find a different venue.

We were strong enough to find a new location in the venerable Monadnock Building.  I was president of the group for over 10 years.  I knew how to organize.  I knew how to stick out my hand and welcome that new person in a meeting.  I knew that we couldn’t accept mediocrity in presentations.  It was a friendly group of smart guys who helped each other and promoted our profession.  We all realized that we were fighting a rear guard action.  Our self-respect and our livelihoods were endangered by the dizzying pace of technology, off-shoring, corporate greed, and planned obsolescence.