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September 11 |
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Although I wasn't employed at SWA at the time, I remember our hometown pride in the once-small, start-up airline that showed us in Dallas and the rest of the country that they had truly grown up. The local display of patriotism, pride and unity of purpose that is collectively known as "The Southwest SPIRIT" was impossible to miss, and I'm sure was likewise repeated at Stations around the country.
The Employees of Southwest showed then that they could rise above adversity and competitiveness as they supported their own co-workers and simultaneously reached out to their fellow airline workers, most notably at the other airline headquartered in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. Walking through the halls of our Headquarters Building today, it is inspiring and encouraging to see the large number of people wearing red shirts, and I'm sure this gesture is being mirrored at 67 airports across this great nation.
We are proud to join all Americans today in remembering and honoring the victims and the events of 9/11, and in saluting all of the men and women of our military who are serving our country both here and abroad. The Warrior Spirit, the Servant's Hearts and the FUN-LUVing Attitudes of 35,000 Employees are strong at Southwest Airlines!
Kim
Like December 7 and November 22, for most Americans of a certain age, today’s date still sends a shiver down the spine and causes the breath to quicken. For those of us in the airline industry, our lives will never be the same, even eight years later. I don’t know about my Coworkers, but I replay those events in my mind even today. From the sheer horror of the day; to the incredible |
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Our First Anniversary, A Look Back |
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Brian,
These are GREAT pictures and wonderfully nostalgic! I very well remember the early days of that little upstart company down at Love Field while I was in high school. Several of us discussed how well they'd do against those "big" airlines whose planes we were used to seeing at DAL back then. I clearly recall the day I was reading the afternoon edition of The Dallas Times Herald (for you youngsters, that was the other newspaper in town that competed with The Dallas Morning News) and saw a large ad that caught my attention with the large bold font mentioning Raquel Welch. It was at that moment that I realized the new airline was not only an upstart, it was a fiesty upstart with a lot of Spirit!
As to your question about the location of the picnic pictures, I think that is Turtle Creek (a small branch of the Trinity River) here in Dallas. It is NOT Bachman Lake -- the trees are too close together and the body of water is too narrow, but it does remind me of some of the area around Lee Park, down near the intersection of Lemmon and Oak Lawn. Just a guess...
Oh, and by the way, maybe this afternoon's Deck Party would be the perfect time to bring back the Charleston? LOL
Kim, Fresh From His Journey in the Wayback Machine :-)
As most of you know, last week, we celebrated our 38th Birthday on June 18. We had several big public and Employee events, starting with our annual Awards Banquet, to celebrate this milestone, and in a post later today, we will show you this year's Birthday Bash. There is no question that we currently are in a very difficult time for our industry. However, for our Original Employees, ou |
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The University of Texas Flying Club Reflects on their Love Field Trip |
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Hey UTFC --
It is cool that you could visit, and yes, there ARE a lot of neat things around here. Hopefully, you felt at home here, since on any given day, there are plenty of folks wearing burnt orange around our Headquarters!
Happy Flying and Hook 'em!
Kim
UT BBA Long Time Ago :-) The University of Texas Flying Club recently visited our Headquarters campus here in Dallas:
Dear Southwest, |
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My Own Lands of Lincoln |
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Brian,
That is very interesting! In all of the books I've read about Mr. Lincoln, I had never seen that about the railroad.
I think two of the things that I MOST admire about President Lincoln, which I am always reminded of when going through the hubbub of an Election Year, are his deep humility and his self-effacing humor. Isn't it a delight to discover truly great people who don't seek to gain fame and honor for themselves, and who take their jobs, but not themselves, seriously? Wait a moment...maybe that is one of the definitions of a truly great person?
The more I read about him, the more I get the sense that he would be very uncomfortable if he knew the status to which people like you and me have elevated him. I suspect if someone had suggested to him that the government put his likeness on a coin, on a piece of paper currency and build a giant monument to him, and that school districts around the country would name schools after him, he would have been shocked.
People who truly have a servant heart are humble individuals. Of course, the more I reflect on his determination to save this country from itself, and his passionate drive to restore and heal the nation, I think that would qualify as a warrior spirit. And, if you study his interaction with his children and his friends, no one could deny that he had a fun-loving attitude. Hmmm, go back and capitalize a few of those words and tweak the spelling of the hyphenated one, and what do you get? :-)
No wonder Mr. Lincoln was awesome! So, in addition to "Happy Birthday, Mr. President", maybe I should say, "we LUV you!"
Kim
Blogger and Lincoln admirer
Back when I was a kid (yeah, we had cars and television then), we celebrated |
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My Own Lands of Lincoln |
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Brian,
Your excellent post probably isn't getting as much attention as it deserves because of some current aviation events that are on the minds of a lot of folks right now, but I wanted you to know that it resonated with me and that I appreciate you sharing your "Lincoln moments".
I, too, have been a life-long Lincoln buff, and can remember my visit to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington as a very surreal experience as well. Having seen photos of that structure all my life didn't prepare me for its size or elegance, but what really struck me was the solemn reverence that existed inside. I can't imagine standing in front of that seated statue and not feeling such deep awe for a man who shouldered some unbelievable stress and responsibility at a time that he was also personally enduring great loss in his own family.
Although our family visited Springfield and a "Land of Lincoln" tourist site when I was a young child, I do not remember much of it other than the fact that we went there. But, that early experience must have kindled an admiration and respect for our 16th President that has only grown over the years. Indeed, Abraham Lincoln books are probably the third or fourth most common subjects in my personal library.
You may have already heard that the first of the four new designs for the reverse of the Lincoln penny was issued by the Mint today in honor of Mr. Lincoln's 200th birthday, and the other three will follow throughout the next twelve months:
http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/lincolnredesign/
Thank you again for reminding us of what an amazing man President Lincoln was and of the legacy he left us. Happy Birthday, Mr. President!
Kim
CRBB
Back when I was a kid (yeah, we had cars and television then), we celebrated |
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