SYA586 AB342
A CLA108 DH=CLERMONT FLO DEC 2003=
WESTERN UNION ALUMNI=
EVERYWHERE USA=
The
'infamous' 60 Hudson Street. Please have your
Western Union
Identification ready for inspection by the
guard.
Welcome... to our web site -- WESTERN UNION
ALUMNI.COM
This web site is updated frequently. Check carefully to see what new material
has been posted since your last visit.
We appreciate your interest and participation. This
website is an attempt at something new and different. We will
be attempting to make it something of value to all ex Western Union
employees, along with historians and others who may wish to
learn about the history and accomplishments of this great
company.
First time visitor to this site? Please tell us who you are by telling
us something about yourself and your WU career.
for the information form.
We are trying to make this a fun website with articles, jokes,
timely events, pictures, connecting links, and an address
book... When possible we will work closely with the RWUEA and
Autodin websites. Please advise any ex-WU employees of
the new website. This website is open to existing employees
as well. Join us and keep us and yourself informed of the
latest happenings.
If you would like us to publish anything,
please contact us. Addresses are provided at the end of
the newsletter.
We need input from readers on your opinion of trying to put
together some sort of museum where WU artifacts could be stored and
displayed. A lot of you are reluctant to give up these
articles without some sort of remuneration, but consider the
alternative. Members of your family may not have the same
feelings about your objects and in many cases they would end up in
the trash can and be lost forever. At least your name would be
on the donated item and you could use it as a tax write off.
Wouldn't you rather see people see these articles and realize WU was
far ahead of its time on some things. ie digital (Mux), fax
(Deskfax, Fax concentrators), cellfones (Airfone), the first
commercial satellite to mention just a few of our accomplishments.
The nations airlines instituted their "Hub and Spoke"
concept in 1987. Western Union had the first "Hub and
Spoke" system in place in the early 1950s when the 15 office
reperforator system was made completely operational.
Shown below is the national state routing system from the 15
switching offices. Initially, a 16th office, Denver was to
be included to handle the states of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and
New Mexico. The switching center proposed for Denver was never installed.
Instead, the states of Wyoming and Colorado were switched
from Kansas City. Utah and New Mexico were switched from
Los Angeles.
to view the main switching aisle at the Richmond office.
to view the main switching aisle at the St.Louis office.
to view the main switching aisle at the Philadephia office.
to view a switching aisle at the Portland office.
to view LA Office photos
furnished us by the Los Angeles Public Library.
Millions of telegrams continue to be sent daily.
The transmission method is somewhat different.
Telegrams have received a new name -- email.
Just think about it.
Our idea is to poll the members and see if they have any contacts
or businesses that would be willing to donate a building or space to
store and display these items. Of course if any member owns
property of this type and would be willing to donate it so much the
better. Along with this we would be looking for volunteers to
act as curators and help with the setting up of displays. The
building doesn't have to be in any particular city, only somplace
that is easily accessible as far as traveling to or staying
near.
Once our plans are in place and the museum starts to become a
reality, we could apply to become a 'not for profit' organization
and apply for a 'tax exempt status'.
Our planning may not be perfect, but with your input we feel we
can accomplish this and make it a part of our history.
We can be contacted by email at the following addresses:
Richard C. Utz, 82, passed away on Wednesday, October 7, 2009. He was born May 1, 1927
in Avon, NY, to Charles and Emily Utz. He retired from Western Union as a microwave
installer/maintainer. Richard is survived by his wife Joyce, son David (Bond Koga),
daughter Deborah (Gary Smith), and two grandchildren, Taylor and Christopher.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, October 12, 2009 at 2 p.m. at the Baldwin-Fairchild
Chapel 428 E. Plant St., Winter Garden, FL, 34787. In lieu of flowers the family is
requesting that donations be made in Richard's name to the South Lake Animal League, Clermont, FL
www.slal.org. Online condolences may be made at www.baldwinfairchild.com.
Published in Orlando Sentinel on October 10, 2009
Recent retiree deaths
for a list
of June 2010 deaths as reported by Western Union.
for a list
of "silent keys" to be published in the Third Quarter 2010 edition of
the Retired Western Union Employees Assn. Newsletter No. 219.
for a list
of "silent keys" to be published in the Second Quarter 2010 edition of
the Retired Western Union Employees Assn. Newsletter No. 218.
for a list
of "silent keys" to be published in the First Quarter 2010 edition of
the Retired Western Union Employees Assn. Newsletter No. 217.
Roy Gorman, 75, of Jonesboro, GA June 27, 2010. Roy worked for
Western Union for 35 years.
Sidney Gibson, 71, of Villa Rica, GA June 16, 2010.
Edith (Edie) K. Johnston, 84 of Boynton Beach, FL June 14, 2010.
Edie passed away peacefully in her sleep 3 years after a massive, crippling stroke.
Her infectious laugh, bright smile and love of life will be missed by all who knew her.
Edie first worked at Western Union as a messenger, eventually retiring as a supervisor.
She worked in various WU offices in Philadelphia, Camden and Moorestown, NJ. Edie
was very active in the union, as shop steward and in other roles. She met and married
the love of her life at Western Union; Curtis Johnston. Married in 1964 they have been
inseparable for over 46 years, until now.
Walter (Wally) D. May , 80 of Barnegat, NJ March 23, 2010.
Wally passed away peacefully at home. Wally was a long time member of RWUEA amd,
for several yars, was a member of its Board of Directors and V.P. Regional Affairs for the
organization.
Wally was born in Chicago, Illinois but grew up living the rugged life in Beaverhead County,
Montana. He was known for his entertaining stories, many stemming from his childhood
experiences on the "Highland Ranch near Moose Creek in the Big Hole". He graduated in 1948
from Beaverhead High School in Dillon, Montana.
Wally met and married Grace Felts at the Western Union school in California in 1949. They
had five children together and lived in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, California, Utah,
Massachusetts and New Jersey. Wally enjoyed a long career of 30+ years with Western
Union. He began as a Telegraph Operator and, following successive promotions, ultimately
became Assistant VP of Sales at the WU corporate headquarters in Upper Saddle River, NJ where
he met his second wife, Gloria.
After retiring from WU, Wally, an avid reader, lover of nature and art and a life-long sketcher
and doodler, began creating portraits and, with dedicated practice, proudly achieved the art
of creating likenesses. He loved playing golf, volunteering at his church thrift store
and spending time with friends and family. He subscribed to his old home town paper - The
Dillon Tribune - and was able to attend his 60th High School reunion in 2008 renewing friendships
and family ties from his past.
Preceded in death by his wife Gloria in 2003, and his oldest son, Scott in 1998, Wally is survived
by two sons, Pat (CA) and Tim (OR), two daughters, Betsy and Nancy (OR), three stepchildren,
one sister, 7 grandchildren, 3 step-grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. He will be
sorely missed by all. May he rest in peace.
Wallace "Chappy" Youdin, 87, February 27, 2010. A long time
member of RWUEA. He was born on Nov. 25, 1922 in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. His
family moved to Brooklyn when his father, who worked for Western Union, was transferred to New
York City. Chappy attended new Utrecht High School and Pratt Institute where he obtained an
engineering degree. He served in the US Army during World War II. After graduating
from Pratt Institute in 1946, he was employed by Western Union in New York City and stayed with
WU until 1964 when he took a job with the Defense Cpmmunications Agency (DCA) in Arlington,
Virginia. He retired from the government in 1986 and remained in the Northern Virginia
area. Chappy is survived by his wife, Mutsuko, a daughter, Carolyn, and a niece, Lisa.
Michael Protin, 73, March 20, 2010 of Wyckoff, NJ. A long time
member of RWUEA. He was an eletrical engineer and worked for Western Union from 1970 until
1986 at Mahwah, NJ and Upper Saddle River, NJ. He was involved in the EasyLink (US/UK)
projects. He later was employed in the communcations field in England. He is
survived by his wife, Jeannick, and son, Armaud.
Alice Curley, 91, April 1, 2010. She was pre-deceased by her
husband, Robert S. Curley, also a former Western Union employee.
Alice served in the WAVES during World War II before starting her career with Western
Union. Alice started at a small office in the Hotel Roosevelt in New York City in the
mid 1940's. She later worked as clerk/operator nights in Hempstead, NY. She finished
her WU career at Long Beach, NY in the early 1950's.
Alice is survived by her daughter, Constance, and husband Patrick.
Roberta Campbell Mabry, February 10, 2010 of Hurst, TX
by Bruce Campbell (her brother)
In February 1942, at the age of 15, my sister Roberta Campbell
left our home in Houston, TX to try out for a job with Western Union (WU) in
Los Angeles, CA.
She was a very fast roller skater and could stop on a dime.
She was recognized by a Western Union employee (scout) at a local roller rink in
Houston, TX. Roberta was working for the railroad in Houston at the time as a
messenger on roller skates and would often go to the local roller rink to
practice. After a meeting with Roberta, her parents approval was given to
send Roberta to Los Angeles California to try out for the skating job delivering
telegrams and messages.
She was short, thin, and fast on skates so this seemed
to be a good job for her but she had to prove herself. She was hired on her
first day of try out. She lived in a large home with fellow skaters.
Western
Union was great providing her with all of her needs and training her.
After
about 6 months working as a skater she started talking to the telegraph
operators she served. On her off time she would use a practice telegraph machine
to learn the job of telegraph operator. Roberta spent every minute she could
learning to type fast and accurate without looking at the keyboard. After a few
months of this overworking herself her boss called her in to have a talk with
her about overworking herself. She explained to him that she wanted very much to
be a telegraph operator because the money was much more and she loved the job.
Her boss explained that she was simply too young for this type of work.
Roberta
was really disappointed with what her boss said after all and those months of work
on her off time so she proposed a deal with him. She said if I work as a trainee
for a month and can’t do the job you don’t have to pay me anything. If I can
prove to you that I can do a good job will you hire me? He agreed reluctantly to
give her a chance.
After a month passed her error rate was way down and her
speed improved tremendously. She became the second fastest and most accurate
operator in the building. Her boss was very proud of what Roberta had
accomplished and hired her as a full time Telegraph Operator.
She worked for WU
for about a year and she fell in love with a Naval Officer by the name of Dale
F. Mabry. He was a carrier pilot and met her in Los Angeles while on leave. She
left her job with WU and married Dale. After their marriage they lived in San
Diego, CA. for about a year and then moved back to Hurst, TX.
Roberta became a mother and
housewife with her first child. Dale went to work for American Airlines as a
pilot. They had 3 children and lived in Hurst, TX. Dale retired from American in
1985 and died in 2005. My sister Roberta Mabry died on
February 10, 2010 in Hurst, TX.
She told this story over and over to her family
and friends throughout her life. She was very proud to be an employee of Western
Union and was proud of the work they did at a time of need during the war. This
story along with others will be in place for all to see at her Memorial on
February 25, 2010 in Hurst, TX.
Thank you for the opportunity to share this
story with others who worked or work for Western Union.
Bruce Campbell (Brother)
San Antonio, TX.
webmaster note: To learn about the WU skating route aides
to read the story of Western
Union's Girl on Wheels.
William G. "Bill" Leiter, 71, of Fraser, MI, on April 18, 2010. Bill
was a member of the Detroit Retired Western Union Employees. He worked for
Western Union for 33 years, retiring in 1989.
Angelina Freund, 101, of El Monte, CA February 26, 2010. Angelina retired from
Western Union in New York in 1962 when she moved to California with her husband Bill. She started at
60 Hudson Street after high school making $12 a week.
Marvin "Marv" Williams of Tallahassee, FL January 29, 2010. Marv joined Western
Union in 1957 as a Student Operator/Switching Clerk in St.Louis, MO. After stints in Dallas, Houston,
Bridgeton, Seattle and Oakland, Marv returned to Bridgeton heading up the Agent Business Center until he retired
after 38 years of WU service.
Lyndell "Ray" Winstead of Roseville, MI January 29, 2010. Ray was Vice President
of the Detroit Retired Western Union Employees Assn. Visitation 4-9 pm February 1 at Coles Funeral Home, St. Claire
Shores, MI. Services at the funeral home February 2, 11 am.
Aline "Bibby" McNabb-Barrett of Port Charlotte, FL, December 18, 2009.
She was administrative clerk to the district sales managers at the Oak Park, MI of the Detroit district
sales office. After leaving Western Union she married her friend of a long time, Paul Barrett and lived
in Lakeland, FL. Paul passed away several years ago. For the last few years, Bibby had been in an
assisted living apartment in Port Charlotte.
Juanita Lawrence of Livonia, MI December 1, 2009
at age 81. Juanita was employee of Western Union for many years until her
retirement in 1981. She held many positions at W.U. Burial was in her home town of Murray, KY.
Grant Smallwood of Las Vegas, NV November 30, 2009.
Grant worked for many years in the Plan 55 at Dayton, OH followed by
other maintenance and sales activities with Western Union. He retired to
Las Vegas. He is survived by his wife, Aura, two sons, one daughter and four
grandchildren.
James C. Moore of Grosse Point Park, MI November 29, 2009
at age 71. James was a wire chief at "ZQ" Detroit and a devoted employee of
Western Union for 25 years until his
retirement in 1990. Donations may be made to Leader Dogs for the Blind or the
Humane Society.
Ora Kober of Fairport, NY October 27, 2009 at age 97. Ora
was employed by Western Union in Rochester, NY for many years. Private memorial
services and interment will be held at the convenience of the family. Donations
may be made to the Fairport Baptist Homes or a charity of your choice.
Webmaster note: When we discover or receive photos of deceased alumni, brief announcements will be
made here. Complete monthly and quarterly death notices appear elsewhere on the alumni
web site.
to read of Jerry Horowitz passing.
to view a slide show of the New York City area 2009 reunion.
Lets have lunch some day soon at a lunch counter near your former office.
for their menu.
ADDRESSES FOR WESTERN UNION PENSION AND BENEFIT PLANS
Pension Benefits
Western Union Pension Service Center
Box 114
1001 16th St., B-180
Denver, CO 80265
Phone: 1-800-811-0684, Monday-Friday 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time
E-mail: westernunionpension@ehr.com
Fax: 1-720-904-3602
Health Benefit (Life) Plans
Western Union Benefits Call Center
Phone: 1-866-651-1484, Monday-Friday 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time
E-mail: westernunion@employease.com
From time to time we receive inquiries concerning email messages received from Western Union
requesting personal information, user names and passwords. This is called "phishing."
Western Union will never send such a request message. Such messages should be consigned
to your computer trash bin. Should you wish to talk with a consumer protection operator at Western
Union, call 800-448-1492. You can also forward any suspicious emails to spoof@westernunion.com.
Inquiries are also received concerning work history of retired or deceased W.U. employees. W.U. does not
permit access to any W.U. personnel records. Whatever we may know about those people is published on this site.
W.U. Mill
High mileage. Not for sale.
Photo provided by "Mac" McHenry of KSC
W.U. - A Public Company again
Western Union is now a public company known as "The Western Union Company,"
trading once again on the New York Stock Exchange with the symbol WU. Today's
Western Union is a global money transfer business with annual revenues now exceeding
$4 Billion - Net income approaching $1 Billion and Cash Flows from operations of
approximately $1 Billion. The principal operating entity of "The Western Union
Company" is "Western Union Financial Services, Inc." The international business
now is the driver of money transfer growth, accounting for over 60% of revenues.
This business growth is fueled by a continuing expansion of the worldwide agent network
that now numbers over 285,000 agents throughout the world in over 200 countries and
territories. You can learn more about Western Union by visiting their web site
http://www.westernunion.com (Western Union, which was bought by First Data
Corporation in 1995, once again became a separate company on September 29, 2006
when First Data Corporation spun-off the company by distributing all its interest in
Western Union to its stockholders.)"
The information above is courtesy of the Retired Western Union
Employees Association.
With much less fanfare, it was announced that telegram service is no longer available.
Until their demise, telegrams were submitted to Western Union via telephone or
via computer and the internet. Western Union would print the messages then hand
the hard copy to DHL courier service for physical delivery. At best the service
emulated the former Mailgram service which was provided by Western Union and the U.S.
Postal Service. The photo above is now only a memory.
-- 30 --
to read Western Union official press releases.
to read press
releases, investor news and also learn more about some of the great work
done by the Western Union Foundation.
Your help is needed.
STATUS REPORT - July
15, 2010
Western Union published several newsletters, The Journal of the Telegraph, followed by
Western Union News and Dots and Dashes, then by FactoGram, and then the
monthly magazine Telegraph News and finally Western Union News again.
Telegraph News scanning is completed for the volumes we
have on hand, 114 of 137 issues. 23 editions are missing. The
results have been copied to DVDs for everyone to enjoy.
PLEASE SEARCH YOUR ATTIC OR STORAGE LOCATIONS FOR THE MISSING VOLUMES
OF TELEGRAPH NEWS LISTED BELOW.
Our Telegraph News collection
is incomplete.
Missing are volumes 1, 2, 3, 5 through 24, 79, and 84.
Should you have any of
these available, we need to borrow for scanning.
Please mail or ship to the WU Alumni
webmaster, Harold Smith, 153 Mason Ave., Rochester, NY 14626. Your copy(s) will
be promptly returned.
Update July 15, 2010
Scanning of Western
Union News continues. Although our collection is incomplete
we have 254 of 342 issues scanned to two DVD's. The following issues are missing:
Volume 1 Numbers 1 through 15
Volume 3 Number 3
Volume 5 Number 16
Volume 15 Number 1 through 3 and Number 5 through 10
Volume 16 Numbers 1 through 9
Volume 17 Numbers 1 through 4 and Number 8
Volume 20 Numbers 2 and 3
Should you have any of these issues, please mail or ship to Harold at the address above.
Your copies will be scanneed and returned promptly.
There is much Western Union history recorded on those newsletter pages. Please contact our webmaster if you desire DVDs with copies
of the material archived thus far. Cost is only $5 per disk to cover the cost of media
and postage.
to read the history
of the Western Union house publications.
Posted July 15, 2010.
MOVIE AVAILABLE
Western Union produced a 22 minute movie in 1951 titled "Telegram for America."
The movie has been transferred from the original 16mm film to a CD
(MPEG-1 format) that
can be played
on most DVD players and many computers. The film shows many scenes of working offices
as they existed, complete with the staff, real WU people. There are also
actors who will be obvious to WU alumni.
To get your copy of this movie, send
a check for $5 to webmaster Harold Smith at 153 Mason Ave.,
Rochester, NY 14626-3327. The cost covers a CD blank, a mailing
envelope and postage. Allow time for the CD to be made and
mailed. This is not a commercial "in stock" product. Each CD
is a copy made from the "master".
The telegram masthead above is from an actual
message dated May 6, 1949.
to view
an actual telegram from 1962 with description of the contents and handling.
to view
an actual telegram from 1857 submitted by Ed Brown of Richmond, VA.
R E M I N D E R - Click the refresh button on your browser
occasionally.
The content of this page changes frequently. You may be
missing valuable information if you are viewing an older page.
A N N O U N C I N G
We are pleased to announce the RWUEA (Retired Western Union
Employees Association) has a new web site in place. It is named
www.westernunionretirees.com.
to go to the new site.
If you are not a
member of the RWUEA, you should be. Sign up
with the RWUEA on their site today.
to bring
up a RWUEA membership application form.
to
read a very interesting item appearing in a recent edition of the RWUEA
quarterly newsletter. See what you are missing. RWUEA
membership costs only $10 a year or three years for $25. Honorary (free) Membership status is
granted if you are 85 or older.
to view the
RWUEA Second Quarter 2010 Newsletter.
We are also pleased to announce there will be a new AUTODIN web site in place. It
is named
www.wuautodin.com. The site is not in operation at this time. There is, however, a memorial
web site created by Bruce Suttle
in honor of Donald B Holtzclaw, former Western Union employee and creator of the AUTODIN.net,
at
www.dbholtzclaw.info.
If anyone has a story relating to Don, please submit to
dbholtzclaw@comcast.net
and I will post it on the site. Thank you. Bruce Suttle
to go to a site created by Bob Pollard. Bob is in the process of developing a Data Comm History web site that
includes Western Union information and also AUTODIN information from Don Holtzclaw's original web site.
Bob worked with Don during the development of the AUTODIN site and he archived a lot of the information
at that time. The link goes to the AUTODIN pages. While it is still under development information is added
almost daily.
There is still another new alumni web site in place. It is named
www.ftccalumni.com. Your WU Alumni webmaster worked for FTCC after leaving WU
and is also webmaster of the new site.
to go to the FTCC site.
F A C E B O O K
An alumni web page now appears on Facebook. To go there, sign on to
Facebook. Enter Western Union Alumni on a Facebook search line. You will discover
listings of the various 2010 Dates To Remember RWUEA events around the nation. This page is open for
all to use.
If you have not already done so,
to submit your name and address
information to the WU Alumni site. Let us know who you are.
There is no charge to be listed on the alumni web site. The
alumni web site works with RWUEA but is not a part of that organization.
To view the list of alumni who have
registered,
to learn and
add office calls around the nation. Do you have a set of route charts
from your office squirreled away? If so, consider loaning them to the webmaster
so office calls can be extracted and listed here. Send an email to
harold@comcenter.net
to tell us what you might have available.
to learn or recall
W.U. Official Approved State, Province and City Abbrevations.
to view the former addresses
of Western Union offices in several cities. If your city is not listed, send the
address to our webmaster. harold@comcenter.net
NEW - Oct. 11. 2009
to view a page from the
RWUEA website covering dedication of a plaque at the 60 Hudson St. New York City
Western Union Building.
to read about the
Western Union Headquarters offices.
to view current photos
from Ted Scott of the Upper Saddle River, NJ complex as it exists today.
to view photos and comments
submitted by Lee Stephens.
to read about the
Decline and Fall of the Reperforator.
to read the
"The Girl on Wheels" story about the WU Route Aides.
to to read about
the Kansas City TCC (Technical Control Center) cutover.
to read the
"End of the Line" story about the WU Camp Car Outfits.
to view current photos
from Ben Fleming of the Berwick, KS beam site as it exists in 2007.
to view photos
of the McGraw Microwave site as it existed in 1970.
to view photos
of the McGraw Microwave site as it exists today in 2007.
Morse vs text messaging contest
on Jay Leno show. See the video on this link.
for a link to
the Florida Chapter of the Morse Telegraph Club.
to read Ben Bowlen's W.U. service story.
For a stroll
down memory lane - in photos! via Frank Weibel and Jerry Marshall
More photo memories
View two photo albums from the folks at Rochester, NY.
Your photos can be shared with everyone and posted here as well. Email digital
copies -- or mail your regular
prints to us. After scanning, your prints will be posted and the
original prints returned to you promptly.
here to view photos
from John Kinane 1961 NYK 14th floor 60 Hudson Street.
here to view an album
of photos from Rochester, NY furnished by Louise Rossi.
here to view an album
of photos from Rochester, NY furnished by Harold Smith
here to view an album
of photos from Rochester, NY furnished by Linda O'Brien Yaw.
N E W L Y R E G I S T E R E D
M E M B E R S
JANUARY
2010
MAY
2010
Ben Mostowy Jr.
01/12/10
Robert L. Black
05/18/10
Teresa L. Dobson
05/16/10
FEBRUARY
2010
Paul W. LeMaire, Sr
05/31/10
David C. Curran
02/14/10
Betty Jo Nelson
05/21/10
John A Mathieson
02/16/10
Edward Zionkowski
05/22/10
Paul Napier
02/01/10
Quinton E. Smith
02/28/10
JUNE
2010
Joe White
02/11/10
Gerald R. Goormastic
06/15/10
George H. Horton
06/15/10
MARCH
2010
David B. Julius
06/11/10
Paul C. Barry
03/05/10
Robert F. Rodman
06/09/10
Rose Mary Roseberry
06/27/09
APRIL
2010
Rollin T. Barstad
04/09/10
July
2010
Richard R. Grisham
04/19/10
Clyde Bales
07/26/10
Dee B. Issow (Tremba)
04/25/10
Larry J. Boykins
07/29/10
Mike J. Lattanzi
04/28/10
John T. Johnson
07/29/10
Frank A. Schaller
04/07/10
Stanton (Stan) P. McHenry
07/24/10
Forest Smith
07/19/10
We need updated information from the following people. If
your name is on this list,
and complete a new
registration form as soon as possible. We want to keep our records
updated.
Robert A. Acord, Kenneth E. Anderson, Albert Atwell, William W. Callison, Stanley
Clark,
J. M. Gray, Nell Green, Bob Hammel, Mrs. Ronald House,
James Jordan, John Martin, Renee K. Pickard, Max Wood, Roger Zeller.
If your Western Union group has an upcoming event, we will be happy to
publish the information in this spot. This service is FREE.
Forward the information to be published via email to:
harold@comcenter.net.
To read an item
from Jack Durkin about a PBS documentary titled Money and Medicine.
for the list of 2010 Dates To Remember --
Gatherings -- as furnished by the RWUEA.
N E W F E A T U R E
to learn what former
Western Union buildings and offices are being reused for. Some are terminal offices,
others former reperf offices. Check back regularly. This list continues
to grow. Tell us about your office. Send the
webmaster an email message with
information about your city and former office.
for photos and brief descriptions of WU
offices located in other cities, some small, some large.
for next
page.
to read
of Western Union's San Francisco recovery from the 1906 earthquake.
for a link to MIT for the complete set of WU
Technical Review publications.
to view the
complete index of items in the WU Technical Review. A CD with the
entire set of Technical Review publications is now available. For
a copy send a check for $5 to webmaster Harold Smith at 153 Mason Ave.,
Rochester, NY 14626-3327. The cost covers a blank CD, a mailing
envelope and postage. The material was downloaded from the MIT
website. You must have a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader on your
computer to view the files. Allow time for the CD to be made and
mailed. This is not a commercial "in stock" product. Each CD
is a copy made from the "master".
Vern Gillespie has a few pieces of WU equipment available from his father. They are yours
for the asking plus shipping costs. Contact Vern via email at vgillesp@yahoo.com.
to view a photo album of the equipment.
Note: Vern's email address has changed from what was previously listed here.
to view a photo album of museums in Morehead City,
NC, at the former Kansas City reperf office and at Belmont, NC.
The photos were submitted by Carlos Van Orden.
to view a photo
album of W.U. Office Modernization. This album will grow as we discover more photos.
to view a photo
album from the 1940s sent to us by Jim Haynes of Fayetteville, AR.
to read about the famous RN office on Staten Island
to view a photo
album.
to view a photo
album of the McGraw, N.Y. site submited by Gene Palmer.
to read a message
and view photos taken May 2007 of the Princeton microwave site.
to view a photo
album of the July 28, 2008 Ohio Reunion.
to view a photo
album of the recent 4th Annual Long Island Reunion.
to view photos taken at the Monsey, NY experimental microwave antenna site.
The photos were taken by R.E. Greenquist and submitted by
A.J. Orlando.
ALL former operators should click
this link.
ALL former W&R, T&R, Automatic, Plant and Microwave Technicians should click
on this link for important information.
ALL former T&R, Automatic, and Plant Technicians click
this link. Tell us how many of these you worked on.
If you have photos you would like posted, please send a digital copy via
email to harold@comcenter.net.
If you only have original photos, mail them to Harold Smith, 153 Mason Ave.,
Rochester, NY 14626. Photos will be returned on
request after they are copied for the web site.
for pictures
received via email.
for the
history of Western Union -- or the Road To Corporate Oblivion.
to read
about Western Union's GiftAmerica -- its rise and fall.
to download a three page
.pdf file from March-April 1965 Telegraph News about the Dollygram.
to read
about Western Union's WESTAR satellites.
to
download an 830K .pdf file - Western Union Museum - an item which
appeared in Vol. 19 No. 4 Technical Review, October 1965.
to
read early history of Western Union. The material was furnished by
Lea Kemp, Librarian/Archivist, Collections of The Rochester Museum &
Science Center, 657 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607. For those
who know or remember, Western Union was founded in Rochester, NY.
to
see "Western Union celebrates Centennial", an item appearing in the
May 1956 issue of Telegraph News.
to visit
requests for help or information from WU Alumni readers.
to view First Data Corp. financial information.
to view a few union contract pages.
The pages tell what some of us did and what we were paid in 1982 through 1984.
Preservation of Western Union's Washington DC Tenley Tower
for a 470K .pdf
file about Tenley Tower.
for a filing
before the FCC concerning preservation of communications towers.
MESSENGER STAFF for a photo of the Milwaukee 1891 messenger staff.
From: Amy.Fischer@firstdatacorp.com
Subject: Fw: Singing Telegrams Story
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2005 16:34:16 -0600
Subject:
Singing Telegrams Story
Hi Team,
Last week a reporter with Voice of America, an international radio
station,
called regarding a story he was doing on singing telegrams. Amy
Fischer
and I worked with him on the facts and details of the story, and one of
our
customer service reps in Bridgeton sang him a telegram personalized for
the
segment.
The piece will run tomorrow in several countries around the world. It
also
to hear the VOA
report and the singing telegram.
This is a long audio file. It will take a while to load for those using
regular dial-up connections.
to read the story
of the Singing Telegram by George P. Oslin as published in his book The Story
of Telecommunications.
PEOPLE SEARCH
Tell Us Who You Are
to submit your name and address information and register with this
site. Your name and address
will be published on this site only if you permit us to do so.
for address information and personal web sites of
your long lost friend(s) or co-worker(s). This list is composed of
those who have registered since this site was started in December 2003.
S I L E N T K E Y L I S
T S
for a list
of "silent keys" to be published in the First Quarter 2010 edition of
the Retired Western Union Employees Assn. Newsletter No. 217.
for a list
of "silent keys" to be published in the Fourth Quarter 2009 edition of
the Retired Western Union Employees Assn. Newsletter No. 216.
for a list
of "silent keys" to be published in the Third Quarter 2009 edition of
the Retired Western Union Employees Assn. Newsletter No. 215.
for a list
of "silent keys" to be published in the Second Quarter 2009 edition of
the Retired Western Union Employees Assn. Newsletter No. 214.
for a list
of "silent keys" to be published in the First Quarter 2009 edition of
the Retired Western Union Employees Assn. Newsletter No. 213.
The truth be known
the motor messengers had many more "stories" than I did as a bike messenger but
I had a few.
Whenever we had a
delivery to a hotel we always tried to get the room number so we got the tip
instead of the bellhop. Once I remember at the Benson Hotel in Portland,
OR I got the room number and knocked on the door. A very pretty women
opened the door wearing only a bra and panties. I told her I had a
telegram for (forget the name) and she invited me into the room. There
were two other very pretty women in the room one naked on the bed, another
barely dressed. I asked for the girls name and she said thanks. She
asked me if I expected a tip and I said no thanks, a picture is worth a thousand
words. I was 16, turns out they were models and used to being casual in
their dress code.
I also had a
telegram delivery for a first name, no last name, in an apartment building near
Portland State University. As we always tried to deliver I looked at the
listing on the outside door - if you remember they had buttons listed next to
names (first initial and last name) and you would press it and they would answer
through a speaker. I only found one with the first initial S so I said I
was Western Union and I had a telegram for Susie could this be her. She
laughed and said come on up Bill. Then she buzzed me through, so I went
up. She threw open the door completely naked - looked at me with a
surprised look and said "your not Bill are you".
There are several
others stories like this. Man that was the best job a 16 year old
boy ever had, fresh air, exercise, and an occasional
glance.
Mike Lattanzi
Hello,
I joined The Western Union Telegraph Company in Denver, Colorado
on Sept. 11, 1963 as a bicycle messenger. I was assigned to their branch office
at 13th & Broadway Monday thru Friday, and at their branch located at 16th
& Glenarm on Saturdays. I frequently went to Denver's Main Office at
917 (later 915) 17th St. to deliver and pickup interoffice communications.
I
was paid at the rate of $1.25 per hour, with three cents added for tire repair
etc. If I recall correctly, there were three bicycle messengers assigned to the
Broadway office. The Main office employed automobile messengers in addition to
bicycle, plus one walking messenger for close by deliveries. I believe Denver's
branch offices closed at 5:00p.m. while the main office closed at
midnight.
Excellent protection against rain was provided to messengers in the
form of black plastic raincoats with hood, covering you head to foot. Western
Union Messenger Uniforms first worn in 1911, were long past when I was hired. I
was identified by a yellow 'Western Union' badge attached to my lapel or shirt
pocket.
After 145 years, Western Union delivered its last telegram January
27, 2006. When I was hired, we were given a Messenger Handbook full of advice
and instructions. We were advised that we would be tired at day's end, but that
it would be a restful tiredness that would enable us to get a good night's sleep
for our next day of work. We were also strongly advised, that when delivering a
'bad news' telegram, we should make certain that the receiptant in question
would be looked after by someone to share their grief with, or that they would
definitely be strong enough to handle the 'news' before we left. Our handbook
also advised us to always be courteous to our public, and to be especially
careful around entrance and doorways. On a particular winter day, I slowly
pushed open an apartment door to the street, to immediately discover a frail
elderly woman about to enter, the woman was standing on an ice covered walkway.
A hastily opened door could have been a disaster.
My daily bicycle delivery
mileage averaged forty miles per day. I worked a six day week. When winter snow
came up to my knees I 'pushed' my bicycle to and from all day. I rarely missed
work, rain or shine. I was in excellent condition, lots of exercise. In between
snow day deliveries, we thawed out our feet on the office radiator across from
our bench in front of the delivery counter. Often, one delivery run included
over 100 stops. I repacked my coaster brake every six months, and wore out the
tread on my bike's tires.
After 18 months on my bicycle, I successfully
passed a required typing test and began delivering in my VW Bug, averaging 150
miles per day with a salary of $3.50 per hour. I was assigned to NW Station (in
northwest Denver) from 4:00p.m. to 6:00p.m. and then I worked out of the main
office from 6:00p.m. until midnight. On especially busy holidays I started my
shift at noon, and worked until midnight, delivering mostly Candy and
Dollygrams. In addition to NW Station, there was E (east Denver) Station,
and SW (southwest Denver) Station. These 'stations' consisted of a single room,
or one corner of a building with a Teleprinter connected to the Main Denver
Office. The station messenger received telegrams and money orders over the
printer and placed the message, or the money order draft (which we prepared) in
the appropriate envelope and delivered same.
A little more than two months
into my employment as a messenger on Nov. 22, 1963 President John F. Kennedy was
assassinated, resulting in the delivery of many telegrams. On Sept. 18, 1970, I
delivered a telegram to a young woman, who tearfully passed on to me the news
that she had just received over the radio, Jimi Hendrix the musician had just
been found dead. The total length of my Western Union employment was nine
years.
I am proud to have been able to work alongside with but a small few of
the many, men and women who throughout its history, were employed by The Western
Union Telegraph Company.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share
my memories, its been quite a trip.
If I may be allowed to share one anadote.
During my time as an auto messenger I spent one vacation driving from Denver to
Redwood City, California to visit friends. My Mother was apprehensive, for I had
never driven this far alone before. I reassured Mom, everything would be fine.
"It will be just like one of my telegram deliveries, only just a long time in
between start and finish."
Richard: This submission is intended to be a humorous anecdotal one, rather
than a historical survey. I have always wanted to self-publish some of my W.U.
'career' highlights, to go on the shelf beside my baseball book, but I am
uncertain whether I ever will do so.
So, if it would be of interest to our fellow telegraphers, please feel free
to use.
Charles Therminy (retired, Los Angeles 1986)
Skipping ahead from the particulars as to how I came to work at the
Hollywood California Western Union, initially on New Year’s day, 1971– as we
were designated in those days –a telegraph operator; I would like to share some
of my reminiscences.
Hollywood was definitely different. At the beginning of the seventies,
the area surrounding 1636 N. Wilcox, just off Hollywood Boulevard was still in a
shabby decline.
A block to the south, on Selma Ave., there were For Hire hustlers while
further south on Santa Monica Blvd.,the belles of the night sauntered.
(I don’t ever recall a lady dressed in seven veils,
gracing my Western Union office in my hometown in Western
Pennsylvania.)
But my first day of the year of 1971, in Hollywood was a tip-off of the
uniqueness of what hitherto had been an imaginary location. (As a warm-up, I had
worked as an usher at the local movie theaters in high school; committing each
movie to memory after fourteen viewings!)
One of my first memories that New Year's day was a young lady calling to
ask the standard inquiry:
‘My name is - -. Do you have a money order for me?’
‘Yes, I do’, I replied.
‘WELL THANK GOD! SOME OLD DRUNK CALLED ME LAST NIGHT TO TELL ME I DID
HAVE ONE; BUT FOR GOD’S SAKE, DON’T COME DOWN HERE TONIGHT!’
Yes, you – the reader – might be correct in assuming the employee had a
drinking problem. I was later told that on another occasion in the process of
closing-up - whereby you leave the bullet barrier (plexiglass and wire) inside
gate and lock the front door, one night he passed out on the lobby floor,
between the two. Probably discovered early in the morning by the messenger from
the main office, L.A., dropping off the days’ business.
Speaking of drinking, a night manager in Hollywood, told me the time a
man entered the office and threw down a bag of money – about $200 – and told her
to:
‘Wire this to the poor sons-of-bitches in Viet Nam! And then
departed.
She kept the bag in a safe compartment for a suitable length of time –
weeks – expecting the ‘customer’ to sober up and claim it. He never
did.
So in his honor, she and another employee after closing up, took the bag
across the street to the bar and polished-off the contents in
liquid.
Or the 'customer' who inquired: 'Pardon me, but do your wire flowers?'
'Yes, we do."
'Well, I'm a pansy! Wire me to Cincinnati!'
Or I was told the time a lady brought in her parakeet (in a cage) and
demanded it be 'wired' to someplace or other. Could not be convinced that our
technology didn't cover bird transport.
Finally our very dry, wry, (rimless glasses) Manager Ollie, instructed
the clerk to bring the bird and cage, inside. Whereby Ollie opened the
reperforator cover from the top and then opened the small cage opening. All the
time striking the side of the cage with his ball point pen and saying: 'Come on,
birdie! Let's go!'
When the bird refused his summons, Ollie told the 'customer':
'Sorry, lady, the bird doesn't want to go!'
Oh, later on that New Year’s day. I was waiting on this couple at the
front counter (she had received a money order). I recall that her companion was
busy trying to straighten out the contents of several bottles of pills on the
counter.
He must have felt threatened by my good looks; as I was holding my head
down while writing the identification info, I felt a breeze over my head. It
seemed Pillsy had managed to take a punch at me through the narrow opening in
the screen.
I will close now on just the anecdotes related to New Years’ Day in 1971,
to see if this submission is accepted.
H E L P N E E D E D
email received Jan. 13, 2010
From: Audrey Watson < nannyaudwat@live.com >
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:33:51 -0500
I am searching for information on my mother, who worked at Western Union in
Brooklyn, or NYC in the 1940's. Her name was Marion Rice. :If anyone can
direct me to finding this information, it would be great, as I need it to
prove my own citizenship.
Thanks,
Audrey Watson
email received Dec. 4, 2009
I am a former Western Union employee, having been employed in the early
1960's as an operator at the Atlanta, Ga. reperf center.
On another forum, we are trying to collect pictures that were generated and
transmitted via teletype.
During my time at Western Union, there must have been thousands of these
type pictures, particularly during the holiday season.
Sadly, I did not have the foresight to save any of the ones that I saw, but
perhaps some of you did.
If anyone happened to save any of these and would like to share them,
please send them to me at the following email address:
guhor@charter.net
They would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks, James C. Boone
Email received June 4, 2009
I'm trying to find information on my paternal grandmother, Fleta (Beck) England, who worked
for Western Union in the Detroit area sometime during the 1940s or 1950s. Do you have
any employee records going back that far?
I think your website looks very cool, and hope you find a location for a museum.
Take care
Cheryl Harrison cardiffmom@gmail.com
Webmaster note: The WU Alumni web site
does not have any employee records. We have only what you tell us when you
register with this site.
I am still looking for a G F Kennedy use to be a plant maintainer
or plant tech. He worked at Colorado Springs then Texarkana. Can u be of any help on this retired plant tech.
X-Original-To:
richardutz@netpass.com From:
JGLRR@aol.com Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2007 23:38:34 EDT Subject: Western Union
Office - New Orleans To: richardutz@netpass.com
Richard,
I just discovered your site, and as I have been
researching L&N RR history on the "south end" of the railroad, I would like
to communicate with a retired WU person who is familiar with the old office in
New Orleans. I'm a retired L&N [now CSXT] telegrapher and train
dispatcher.
Back in the 1950's and probably long before, the various
stations along the line summoned the WU operator in New Orleans with a
desk-mounted magneto. The WU operator obviously utilized a Western
Electric 60-System ringing key to raise stations, and at some point in time
there must have been telegraphy involved between the L&N and WU
operators.
Back in 1940-41, teenage
boys, like myself, that lived in and around Albany, New York, were
always looking for, or working at, after-school jobs.
I became a Postal Telegraph
Messenger but whenever we were sent out with a delivery, we had to walk
either up or down that very steep "State Street hill". Occasionally we'd be sent
along either North or South Pearl St. that went along the "lee of the hill"
but that was a rarity. After several deliveries up or down State St.
hill, the fun went out of it, even though it was great
exercise.
A classmate told me he was
leaving Western Union and I'd like becoming his replacement because it was
running the WU desk in New York Central's Union Station down at the foot of
State St. on Broadway near the Hudson River.
The switch was quickly achieved
and my uniform went from Postal Telegraph blue to Western Union olive green. I
was given the keys to the depot office and told that when my shift ended to
send the receipts up the main office on State Street via the vacuum tube.
That was the extent of my training except told that my job consisted of 3
functions:
(1) Work the desk in the station
when there were no NYC passenger trains in the station.
(2) When the train announcer boomed out the imminent
arrival of a passenger train, done without a PA system, we were to take
note and attend the arrival. The announcer would also post the arrival
time, the train name, its number and which of the 4 depot tracks
it would arrive on, but I soon knew all that by heart.
We'd take any messages that had arrived from the main office,
addressed to a passenger on the arriving train . If we had such a
delivery to make, we'd get on the forward car and run through each car loudly
calling the name of the intended recipient, hoping to find that person, or the
final car whichever came first, before the 20 minute layover expired.
An 11 car train required a lot of yelling and running to get through the
22 doors, each slowed by a powerful hydraulic restraining device. Going through such a train
was worse than climbing State Street hill just once.
(3) If there were no messages to
be delivered to that train, you would still go through the same routine except
you would shout "Western Union" and take messages and make change from any one
that called out "Here, boy". An imperfect chart was all I had to determine the
rates accurately to various cities.
The trick was to complete
all transactions before departure time and get off before
the car you were on was pulled past the end of the walkway
platform. Sometimes, it was already going too fast to jump off and then we'd
have to stay on until the next stop which was sometimes as far away as
either Harmon, just north of NYC, or Syracuse, west of Albany, both 100+ miles
away and then dead-head back.
They finally added a girl on the
desk so we wouldn't have to shut down so much of the time. One day, when I
came back from working a train, she announced excitedly that she had a
telegram for the famous bandleader, Kay Kyser, who was scheduled to go
through Albany on the 20th Century Limited. She asked if she could take it
to the train and deliver it herself and receive the anticipated huge tip.
I agreed and when it arrived for its usual brief stop, she followed me
to the train. I quickly found his compartment number from the porter and
when we got to it, she pounded on the door. Mr. Kyser opened it and received
the "wire" from the smiling young lady. His hand went to his pocket and out came
his handkerchief and he started to blow his nose as he turned and shut the door.
I felt sorry for her but couldn't help but laugh all the way back to the
office.
Many events that took place
in that huge domed waiting room are still with me. It was the time of the
first WWII military draft and many men passed through that train depot
on their way to training camp and possibly future combat. After one group of
draftees went through the doors to their train, a young lady left standing there
in tears screamed out, "They're going to kill him!" Maybe they did.
Without any training in pricing
telegrams and only that imperfect chart to work from, I felt I wasn't doing
my job well at all and in our family that was imperitive. Therefore, after a
year of guessing at proper charges, I'd had enough and announced my departure.
In a few days, the boss arrived at my home to retrieve my uniform and told my
Mother that he thought I was doing a great job and didn't know why I quit but
that was still the end of my career with Western Union.
I've been unsuccessfully
searching the Internet for one of those keystone shaped cap devices with the
words "Western Union" cast into it so I can put it in a framed picture with the
most famous NYC "Hudson 4-6-4 Passenger Locomotive" to memorialize my
association with both Western Union and The New York Central passenger service.
I have a photo to add of the Albany Depot and if you can suggest where I might
find one of those cap devices, I'd be most grateful. I did find a Coca-Cola
poster containing a nice big color sketch of a red-cheeked W.U. messenger
wearing his green cap and W.U. device but so far I've been unable to find "The
Real Thing".
For an 80+ year old, those days
in a self-taught position in the Albany Depot - long ago torn down, are
treasured memories and Western Union has my Thanx for the
privilege.
Sincerely,
Lawrence D. Sheely
36838 Tara Ave.
Zephyrhills,
Florida
33543-1978
to read "help needed"
items previously submitted.
The cartoon below was submitted by Jim Komro. It was cut out of the San Mateo Times newspaper sometime in the early '70's.
TELL US YOUR STORY
Tell your story. While you are still able, why not
write your own story about your W.U. experiences and history. Tell
us when you started with the company, the jobs you held, cities worked,
etc. Your story will be published on this site for all to read.
Most of us went to work each day,
did our job and came home. However, there were also exciting days as
well. Tell us about a promotion, a transfer, meeting a celebrity,
working with a new person, or with new equipment. These are but a
few suggestions. Compose an email today and send it to
harold@comcenter.net.
Don't be concerned about the length of your item.
Please contact our webmaster with questions or
comments.
Richard C. Utz, 82, passed away on Wednesday, October 7, 2009. He was born May 1, 1927
in Avon, NY, to Charles and Emily Utz. He retired from Western Union as a microwave
installer/maintainer. Richard is survived by his wife Joyce, son David (Bond Koga),
daughter Deborah (Gary Smith), and two grandchildren, Taylor and Christopher.
Roy Gorman, 75, of Jonesboro, GA June 27, 2010. Roy worked for
Western Union for 35 years.
Walter (Wally) D. May , 80 of Barnegat, NJ March 23, 2010.
Wally passed away peacefully at home. Wally was a long time member of RWUEA amd,
for several yars, was a member of its Board of Directors and V.P. Regional Affairs for the
organization.
In February 1942, at the age of 15, my sister Roberta Campbell
left our home in Houston, TX to try out for a job with Western Union (WU) in
Los Angeles, CA. 
William G. "Bill" Leiter, 71, of Fraser, MI, on April 18, 2010. Bill
was a member of the Detroit Retired Western Union Employees. He worked for
Western Union for 33 years, retiring in 1989.
Angelina Freund, 101, of El Monte, CA February 26, 2010. Angelina retired from
Western Union in New York in 1962 when she moved to California with her husband Bill. She started at
60 Hudson Street after high school making $12 a week.
Lyndell "Ray" Winstead of Roseville, MI January 29, 2010. Ray was Vice President
of the Detroit Retired Western Union Employees Assn. Visitation 4-9 pm February 1 at Coles Funeral Home, St. Claire
Shores, MI. Services at the funeral home February 2, 11 am.
Aline "Bibby" McNabb-Barrett of Port Charlotte, FL, December 18, 2009.
She was administrative clerk to the district sales managers at the Oak Park, MI of the Detroit district
sales office. After leaving Western Union she married her friend of a long time, Paul Barrett and lived
in Lakeland, FL. Paul passed away several years ago. For the last few years, Bibby had been in an
assisted living apartment in Port Charlotte.
Juanita Lawrence of Livonia, MI December 1, 2009
at age 81. Juanita was employee of Western Union for many years until her
retirement in 1981. She held many positions at W.U. Burial was in her home town of Murray, KY.
Grant Smallwood of Las Vegas, NV November 30, 2009.
Grant worked for many years in the Plan 55 at Dayton, OH followed by
other maintenance and sales activities with Western Union. He retired to
Las Vegas. He is survived by his wife, Aura, two sons, one daughter and four
grandchildren.
James C. Moore of Grosse Point Park, MI November 29, 2009
at age 71. James was a wire chief at "ZQ" Detroit and a devoted employee of
Western Union for 25 years until his
retirement in 1990. Donations may be made to Leader Dogs for the Blind or the
Humane Society.
Ora Kober of Fairport, NY October 27, 2009 at age 97. Ora
was employed by Western Union in Rochester, NY for many years. Private memorial
services and interment will be held at the convenience of the family. Donations
may be made to the Fairport Baptist Homes or a charity of your choice.
Western Union is now a public company known as "The Western Union Company,"
trading once again on the New York Stock Exchange with the symbol WU. Today's
Western Union is a global money transfer business with annual revenues now exceeding
$4 Billion - Net income approaching $1 Billion and Cash Flows from operations of
approximately $1 Billion. The principal operating entity of "The Western Union
Company" is "Western Union Financial Services, Inc." The international business
now is the driver of money transfer growth, accounting for over 60% of revenues.
This business growth is fueled by a continuing expansion of the worldwide agent network
that now numbers over 285,000 agents throughout the world in over 200 countries and
territories. You can learn more about Western Union by visiting their web site
http://www.westernunion.com (Western Union, which was bought by First Data
Corporation in 1995, once again became a separate company on September 29, 2006
when First Data Corporation spun-off the company by distributing all its interest in
Western Union to its stockholders.)"
