How To Slice An Apple

Standing in the ruins of my NCAA pick sheet and the post-apocalyptic vision of this year's decidedly-not-Sweet Sixteen, I beiefly contemplated the honorable way out, as exemplified by the ritual application of the yakuza's blade in the last episode of James Spader's brilliant turn in The Black List.  Good sense prevailed, and I sliced an apple, instead.  Thin, to retain maximum flexibiity in the culinary disposition of the pome in question.

In the now-familiar Department Of One Thing Leads To Another, I looked back a few days for evidence of apples dropping in the near-vicinity of a gnarled heirloom tree - and found traces of lineage that some say is Winesap and others say is pure sap.

Our younger daughter and younger son joined me at an MBA class at The Ohio State University in a multi-generational assessment of developments, trends, and future possibilities in supply chain management.  This gnarled and gnarly (for you surfer dudes) old tree was most pleased by how the apples have turned out. 

Our son routinely performs the impossible in a global sourcing and procurement role for a major US health care company, with stunning successes in the disparate realms of carbohydrates and sweeteners, dairy products and ingredients, and energy and power sources and usage.  This, with a background in specialty apparel and automotive (and a dash of consulting to add spice to the recipe and an air of invincibility to the practitioner).  Our daughter, totally - like the ancient tree - self-taught, and a fearless player among behemoth suppliers, now runs the North American supply chain for a significant specialty chemical company.

Our profession provides many examples of family ties to the field, with the sons and daughters of an earlier generation picking up the mantle of supply chain expertise and progress.  One hesitates to name names, lest the desrving be indvertantly omitted.  But, names such as Bowersox, Regan, Otto, Richards, and others, stand out at industry events. 

My favorite, actually, is Apple, with a three-generational history spanning manufacturing and materials handling, through industrial engineering and logistics, to an active consulting role.  Jim Apple, with a debt to his father and a legacy to his sons, has been a friend and colleague for many years and provides an example to us all.