Lennart John Holmquist

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The time had come for Jill to give birth.

At Alta Bates Hospital, in Berkeley, she was given a private room, and was well attended. Len sat in a chair that leaned back. The chair might have been comfortable enough for an average size person, but a 6’2” Len was a bit uncomfortable. Jill’s labor lasted several hours. She too was uncomfortable but for different reasons.

When she was about to give birth she was wheeled into another room, a birthing room, one might say. Len was invited into the room. He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to be there or not. Jill’s feet were put up into the usual stirrups. The nurses reminded her how to breath. Len stood several feet away, out-of-the-way of the action.

After some time his son’s head started to appear, but the actual birth was slow. A nurse or two pressed heavily down on Jill’s stomach. That might have helped some but not enough. His son was only part way birthed. A short discussion went on among the female doctor and nurses. A nurse grabbed a clear plastic device with a large suction cup on one end attached to a clear hard plastic ‘tube’ or handle of about 1 ½ feet. Extending at right angles a two different locations on the pole were two ‘handles’ – really just tubes also. The device was hooked up to a rubber tube that snaked to small machine. Len didn’t quite know what was going on. The suction cup was place on the top of his son’s head. The machine was turned on, which created a suction. A nurse put up one foot on the birthing table, bracing herself, grabbed both handles, and pulled. Len was surprised. He thought the nurse might pull’s Len’s son head right off. He felt like warning the nurse of what may happen, but he kept quiet hoping the nurse knew what she was doing.

Eventually, Len’s son pulled free of the womb. Considering what he had just been through Len's son was not very happy. He had left a warm secure place into a place of which he knew not. The nurse asked Len if he wanted to cut the umbilical cord. Len wasn’t sure he wanted to, but thought this may be a opportunity to do something pretty unique in his life. The nurse clamped the umbilical cord. The nurse handed him a scissors and told him where to cut. The cord was rubbery and not that easy to cut. In a few seconds he succeeded.

Eventually, Jill, their son and Len were back in the room. It was time to commit to a name. After Jill and Len knew through ultra-sound a male was on the way, Jill started calling the baby by various names while he was still in the womb. The latest name she called him was Kristofer. In the hospital room Len asked what the final decision was in a name. Len thought he should leave it up to Jill, since she did most the work. She decided on Kristofer. “How do you want it spelt?” Len was hoping for Kristofer which was the Swedish spelling. “Kristofer.” “One ‘f’ or two ‘ff’s? “One.” “OK.”

Len took the elevator down to the first floor to the records office where the birth certificates were typed. “I’m here to register my son.” “OK. What’s his name?” “Kristofer John Martin Holmquist.” Jill and Len had already decided on two middle names. One name, John, was after Len’s middle name and going back to his father’s middle name, his grandfather’s first name and his Swedish great-grandfather’s American first name. (His Swedish first name was Johannes). The clerk typed the name into the appropriate field.

Len went back up to Jill and Kristofer’s room. “I change my mind. I think Kristofer should be spelt ‘Christopher.” “OK. Christopher it is.” “Len back downstairs to the records office.” “We decided to change the spelling of the first name to ‘Christopher’. ‘OK, no problem.’ The clerk took out a new form and typed in ‘Christopher John Martin Holmquist.” Len took the elevator back upstairs. “I change my mind. I think it should be ‘Kristofer’. Len took the elevator back downstairs. “We’ve changed our mind again. The first name will be ‘Kristofer’. Without any hesitation or impatience the clerk took out a fresh form and typed ‘Kristofer John Martin Holmquist.’ Evidently, the clerk had been through this before.

Kristofer was born in Berkeley, California on December 18, 1992. Len was a father to a son. He could hardly believe it. It was the most uniquely wonderful day of his life.

1996 - Apple/Claris Ireland

Toward the end of Len's time at Apple he worked for the AppleSoft group, managed by an Irish lady named Rose McCarthy, as an International New Products Manager seeing that Apple's international software, manuals, collateral material and boxes in which they all fit made it through the localization/translation process. The job required that he travel to various countries in Europe and Asia to meet with translators and engineers involved with this process. On one of these trips he and his co-worker, Anita, traveled around the world stopping at various countries in Europe, and continuing on to Hong Kong and Japan before returning to California.

Apple decided to 'spin off' Apple's software business, including the international software by creating a wholly-owned Apple company named Claris. Claris set up operations in another building not far from the Apple. Though technically a Claris employee, Len, kept his Apple badge, giving him electronic access to all Apple buildings, and continued working on site at Apple building 1 at the address 1 Infinity Loop, the same building that the the co-founder, Steve Jobs, had his office though it was rare that Len actually saw Steve. For a year Len worked in this building, his main responsibility being to ensure that international Apple products transitioned smoothly from Apple to Claris manufacturing located at the Ballycoolin Business Park just outside of Dublin, Ireland.

Len's manager at Claris, who actually he had only met and spoken briefly with once or twice, asked Len to work at the Claris site for three months. He could bring his wife and son with him. Claris Ireland provided a place for them to live, rent free, during that time, and the use of a car.

Len saw this as a possible opportunity to live and work in Ireland permanently. Len asked that he report not to his Claris U.S. manager, but to a Claris Ireland manager. The request was granted. Soon Len, Jill and Kristofer were on a jet flying to Ireland. Since the time in Ireland was for only three months, at least initially, they did not rent out their home in Oakland, California.

Claris Ireland had a furnished condo (semi-detached residence) ready for them in the suburbs of the village of Lucan, about a twenty minute drive from Ballycoolin Business Park. Downtown Dublin was about a forty minute drive.

Len and Jill were actually hoping for a cute little cottage to live in and not a modern condo. However, they liked the condo more than the expected to. It was light and airy, had a good feel about it, had a fenced backyard in which Kristofer could run around, and where he and his dad sometimes played baseball. Outside the front door and across the relatively car-free street was an expanse of grass, another place Kristofer could play. Kristofer loved grass. Whenever he had an expanse of grass he liked to run across it.

Jill and Kristofer usually drove Len to work each morning, and picking him up at the end of the day. Len usually had a stick of chewing gum, broken into three parts in his shirt's top pocket. Kristofer dug his little hand into his dad's pocket and fished out the gum, always happy to have three pieces. After work Len they often did not go straight home. Len or Jill asked Kristofer where he wanted to go. "To the pub," Kristofer answered with an emphasis on pub. They drove to the local pub, get a few drinks and perhaps some pub food, and drive home.

Weekends the family was often on the road perhaps visiting the old world Bel-air horse riding hotel in County Wicklow or perhaps Dublin or a castle or other historic sites, such as the ancient New Grange, for visiting friends. At New Grange was slopes of long rich green grass. Kristofer loved it.

At the Bel-air the family stayed in one of the rooms upstairs, but were usually at the corner room pub where riders drank their pints, or in the parlor which often had a peat, wood or coal fire burning Jill went horseback riding through the hills and across the fields. Len and Kristofer occupied themselves in the hotel or on the hotel grounds, Kristofer playing with whatever other little kid may happen to be around or watching a kid's show on TV, usually Teletubbies while Len read a book nearby. Sometimes Len and Kristofer and Jill when she was back from riding played baseball or soccer on the grass in front of the hotel.

1996 - General Magic

Ireland lasted three months.

A former co-worker from Apple Computer, Art Cohen, had suggested to Len during previous months that he come join General Magic, one of the many startup technology companies in the California's Silicon Valley. Employees were an ad hoc group of former Apple, IBM, HP and other companies as far as Len remembers. When his time at Apple-Claris came to and end, Len decided to take up Art's suggestion. Len applied and got a job with a title he didn't remember, but eventually acquired the title of International Program Manager.

Len did assorted tasks connected to General Magic's two main products, Magic Cap, an operating system for hand-held devices to be licensed to other hi-tech companies. One of these companies was Sony. The other product was a networking application called Tabriz. On one occasion Len flew to Paris to have meetings, along with another French General Magic employee, with employees of Galarie Lafeyette. That company wanted to use Tabriz to monitor their ATMs in various locations in Paris. Len asked questions and took notes of what they wanted Tabriz to do. Upon arriving back in the Silicon Valley in wrote a specification for General Magic software engineers to follow to provide the features needed for the Galarie Lafeyette implementation of Tabriz.

Len also provided some product management for Tabriz retail product, which included making sure all the product's physical parts were addressed (boxes, box art, CD, CD plastic case, CD artwork, manual, licensing agreement, etc.). He also wrote the Bill of Materials (BOM) listing all the individual piece of the product, to be used by manufacturing, with a copy of the BOM to be printed and included in the product's box. Len was also asked to decide upon a part numbering system. Each piece would have its own individual part number and revision, letter. For instance, the Tabriz product box might have had a part number of TAB-0001-A. 'TAB' was the product designation. '0001' was the first major version of the box, and 'A' was the revision designation. If the box changed, but did not change significantly, on the revised box might be printed TAB-0001-B.

Len's time at General Magic was short. The company's two products eventually failed in the marketplace because of competing products from other companies. Had General Magic been successful, Len may have made out well financially. Besides his salary and other benefits (401K retirement, health insurance, vacation days, etc.) Len also was granted 30,000 shares of stock options, which had little or no value unless the company was successful.

Again Len was looking for work.

1997-98 - Umax Computer Corporation

Two former colleagues at Apple Computer, Hiep Nguyen and Shad Ahmad suggested to Len that he apply to a Software Tools Manager position at Umax Computer Corporation. Len would be their manager and three or four other software tools engineers. The company made computers using the Apple operating systems under license of Apple Computer. Len applied and was accepted. The job did not last long. Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, returned to Apple and canceled or did not renew any of the licensing agreements between Apple and other companies making Apple clones.

Apple CEO who fired Steve Jobs: 'I wish I had hired him back'

Len got laid off from his job along with many others. The company tried to reinvent itself around a new non-Apple-related product. That strategy failed after some months and the company went out of business.

Len and Jill thought it would be nice to live in Europe again. Len traveled to Ireland, stayed for a month at the Bel-Air hotel in County Wicklow and tried to find work in Ireland by searching company and job sites online from his hotel room. He got a few interviews but none worked out.

Online he came across a software localization job at Autodesk in Switzerland. He emailed his resume. The manager, Anna, responded saying the company would fly him over from Ireland for an interview. Len agreed, had the interview and returned to Ireland. Shortly after he returned to the States having no more word from Switzerland. Back in the States the manager at Autodesk emailed Len, offering him the job. Talking with Jill and after much deliberation he accepted.

1998 - Switzerland

The family moved to Switzerland for about seven or eight years. During that time Len first worked for the American company Autodesk, a computer-aided design (CAD) company.

Kristofer, now five years old, started his education in the local Swiss public school, named Promenade. Little Kristofer knew no French, but each morning he bravely, put his book backpack, which he called a bak-kak, on his back and walked the few blocks to school. No doubt it was tough being in a class with a bunch of other students and a teacher, none of who knew English. However, Kristofer became friends and eventually buddies with a Swiss kid his age name Gaetan. Eventually both families got to know each other well, and spent many nice hours together.

Also, the Holmquist family got to know a Canadian family by the name of Rohr. Evan Rohr was Canadian of Swiss background. They too had recently moved to Switzerland. Evan and Jennifer had two kids younger than Kristofer, Aspen and Hayden. They first lived in a small one level house next to a vineyard. Hayden was just a toddler at the time and Aspen a few years older. Many happy times were spent at the Rohr's house, having dinner or just kicking back and relaxing.

Eventually, they decided to stay in Switzerland, and bought a two story house overlooking Lake Neuchatel.

Rohr News: March 2011

Promenade Noire 10

When they first arrived in Switzerland, Autodesk put them up in a temporary apartment, in a modern glass and concrete complex. From their balcony they saw Lake Neuchatel and the jagged Alps beyond.

During the next several weeks a company that Autodesk had employed to find a place for the Holmquist family to live, showed them several possibilities. But, it was Jill who found an apartment in a four story building whose address was Promenade Noire 10. Actually, thought the entrance was at Promenade Noire, they opened the heavy tall wooden doors, walked a long hallway to the building behind the building on Promenade Noire to another building facing Rue Coq d'Inde (Street Rooster of India). Their fourth floor apartment faced Coq d'Inde with its cobbled street, cafes, bakery, antique shop, and other shops and clock tower beyond. An ancient building with a sandstone Swiss-French facade faced them. Above the roofs of the opposite buildings, on a hill stood the town's cathedral and chateau. These were only visible however, when looking out of Kristofer's bedroom roof window. Their building was also ancient. Though the building did not have a date on it, as many of the town's ancient buildings did, the building next to their's, built about the same time displayed a date of 1689.

1998-99 - Autodesk

Len managed a software and documentation localization (translation) team. The team numbered eight to ten people. They were an excellent and hard working team. Nationalities included German, Swiss, English and Spanish. An Australian, the technical lead, managed the day-to-day engineering activities. Two project managers, who did not report to Len, but rather to a project management manager, Jenny from Ireland, took care of some of the project management in all the localization teams of which there were three. One, Patrick was Swiss. Another was Danish, who had worked in Ireland for some years and so spoke English with a perfect Irish accent. They too were excellent.

The localization projects were going well - on time, within budget with excellent quality. Though all was well, it did not go well for Len when the department manager, Anna, went on maternity leave. A fellow manager to Len, Bodo Vahldieck, was put in charge of the department, temporarily, until Anna would come back from her leave of absence.

Quite unexpectedly, without any warning and without explanation, Bodo assigned all Len's responsibilities to other managers. Len had a title, and for time being a pay check, but had nothing to do. Apparently, it was a political move, but what the motivation was behind this action, Len didn't know. Len was no threat to Bodo who did good work and had been with the company for ten years.

Apparently, however, something similar had happened to the manager, an Irishman, to whom Len replaced a year and half previously. Bodo seemed to be responsible for this too though Len could not verify it.

Ann eventually returned and shortly thereafter the company had worldwide layoffs. Len knew he would not make it through the layoffs. He was damaged goods. Len figured that no matter what the quality of his work it was easier to lay him off than find out anything to the contrary. Len told Jill his time with the company was probably limited and so it was.

Though laid off from this company an other companies over the years he knew that at the end of his career he had the family's cabin Sulatorp in Sweden to retire to along with his brother and sisters. He imagined days fixing up the cabin, reviving the garden out back, visiting with family in other parts of Sweden such as the Rinell, Hermansson, Collden and Holmquist families, and his uncle's friend, Jan Front, who lived on a farm nearby, and exploring other parts of Sweden with his brother and sisters. Sulatorp had an internet connection, so he could easily keep in touch with the outside world, and perhaps even work remotely as a technical writer for a company in Göteborg, about an hour drive away or companies in other parts of Sweden or Europe. He also saw himself beginning continue work on his book, Foreign Devils, and start realizing his dream of writing short stories and books of fiction with Sweden's forests, coast, villages, towns and cities as the environment. Also, Len wanted Kristofer to get to know Sweden, and someday inherit Sulatorp and enjoy it along with his other cousins. Life could be hard, but in not so long a time life would be immensely more enjoyable and satisfying.

With the layoff rent was too high at 10 Promenade Noire. They had to find a cheaper place to live.

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Footnotes