Ripon's 50th a Time to Reflect -Cagle

"You had to be a skilled craftsman to get the most out of the equipment," he wrote. "Everything was hands-on. Literally. What left the building was the work of your hands and mind."

Times certainly have changed, Miller noted. Fifty years ago, no one would bat an eye at racing inside/outside the plant, using pallet jacks, trucks and office chairs as vehicles. Then there was the time someone on second shift wrote a welcome note in the parking lot by using press wash and set it ablaze. Most companies wince at the days when the break room was thick with cigarette smoke, a major no-no in the modern workplace.