I remember vividly when 800 numbers came into mainstream use. My uncle John was stationed in Hawaii with his family, and I wanted to go visit them in the worst way. Well, okay. I didn’t want to see them as much as I wanted to visit Hawaii. When they were stationed in Germany I wanted to visit them there, too, but that wasn’t going to happen, and I had no way to research airfare efficiently. I had to mail the various airlines and ask for a booklet they published periodically with schedules and airfares.

With the advent of  toll free numbers, I availed myself of directory assistance to get the airlines’ contact information. This was 1967, the year I graduated from high school. The rest of my family had little to do with the phone. They didn’t seem to see the potential for gathering information that I did. And I’m still at it, gathering information, only now I do that on the Internet.

I never did get to visit my Aunt Rosie and Uncle John, but I gained a lot of confidence contacting customer service reps and airline travel agents. And that kind of experience went on to shape the person I have become. I’m not afraid to talk to anyone — well, except my Aunt Jane. Don’t even want to go there…