The members interviewed weren't sure just how rough the work was, however. When asked if he missed his eight-hour office day, Ralph Clark, who once worked in South Africa, remarked, "I've never known an eight-hour day; if I had, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Others sided with H. W. Eiser, who called work here "very much tougher" than his job of superintending transportation for United Gas Corp. Theodore I. Marine of the Pennsylvania Railroad, admitted "It would be somewhat of a relief to have a job I'm accustomed to."
Top course honors go to "Administrative Practices," taught by Joseph C. Bailey, associate professor of Human Relations, and "Business Policy" taught by Myles La Grange Mace, professor of Business Administration. Leading the field is Ross G. Walker, also a professor of Business Administration, who gives "Cost and Financial Administration."
All Sorts
Variety keynotes this spring's class. The A.M.P's represent 100 different companies, three armed services, and two government departments; the companies are expected to continue paying their executives' salaries while they are attending the program. Though there are several men famous both in and out of the business world, in the class, the typical member is likely to be about 45 years old, with 15 to 20 years of prior business experience.
One of the more popularly well-known men in the group is McSpaden, who is now Sales Promotion Director for Palm Beach clothes. He retired from professional golf five years ago after winning some 40 championships. Another well-known figure is James H. Lum, who was Executive Director of the Clinton Laboratory in Oak Ridge from 1945 to '47, Before Oak Ridges he spent four years working in Australia; is now with the Monsonto Chemical Company.
To help the A.M.P's get acquainted, they all must wear to classes, and in their Hamilton Hall Lounge a white lapel tag giving their name and that of the company that sent them. Offenders are fined a dollar, and the money thus accumulated is spent on a farewell party.
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company is somewhat famous for the basketball players on its staff. Until a few years ago even President Edward J. Thomas played on the Company team, and A.M.P. Marvin Huffman is no exception. Once a member of the Indians NCAA championship outfit, he joined Goodyear in 1940 and is now Assistant to the Vice president.
Sole full-time lawyer in the program is Jess N. Dalton of Goodrich, Dalton, and Little in Mexico City. He was the lawyer who, in 1928, got Trotsky's secretary. Sylvia Agleloff, cleared from an "accessory before the fact" charge in the Russian's murder. Dalton used this episode in his public speaking course, but emphasized that this was "only in the line of duty."
In Terms of Value...
Almost all the 163 members in the Advanced Management Program agree that the work is "different" and "provocative," although some question its tangible results. Class President Charles C. Duncan, for example, stated "I don't know if we're going to learn anything specific," while Hamilton Rogers're marked that although he thinks the program is worthwhile, he's still trying to find out what he has learned.
However, all the A.M.P.'s feel that meeting men from totally different fields, and gaining new outlooks, is the most valuable part of the program. The statement of Kenneth R. Webster, who's spent most of the past eight years as district manager for the Arabian American Oil Company in Saudi Arabia, pretty well sums it up for the representatives of both foreign and even United States businesses.
"I think this A.M.P. program is especially valuable for men employed abroad," he says. "One gets out of contact, and this brings one up to date."