Abundant Gifts
All the presents are unwrapped, decorations are going back to the basement and resolutions are in full swing. As the new year unfolds before us, I wonder….what gifts are waiting to be opened in 2024.
Each Sunday, as you pass the peace, do you ever wonder……”what gifts do the neighbors in my pew possess?”
The Gallery Wall calls us to connect on a very personal level with our St. Barnabas community. By discovering our vast resources of creative and innovative people we will be inspired to know each other at a deeper level. In the Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul wrote: "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. [Romans 1:11-12].
That’s our hope from this project, that we will be mutually encouraged by each other which strengthens our spiritual family ties.
Today, we will kick it off with a couple of spotlight stories in hopes that you will be inspired to nominate someone so that we can share their Abundant Gifts.
Did you know……
Founding Member Bob Gustafson has done everything at St. Barnabas. From Sr. Warden to chief bottle washer, he’s done it all and with a gracious heart. But did you know that outside these doors his creative and innovative mind has played a role in products you may use every day.
In Bob’s 33 years with Procter & Gamble, he worked in various divisions and finally as Section Head in Health Care Product Supply Engineering which was responsible for development of packaging and packing systems for Crest toothpaste and Scope mouthwash products. Bob’s products included:
· Scope child-proof caps
· Crest Pump (not marketed today)
· Crest Neat Squeeze stand up package
· Crest White Strips tooth whitening kits
When asked about his time at P&G Bob shared, “My team developed the child proof cap for Scope mouthwash in 1995, in response to a ruling from the Consumer Product Safety Commission requiring mouthwash products containing ethanol to have child resistant packaging. We coordinated our packaging development with the CPSC staff, providing updates and product samples along the way. When we were ready to change over to the new caps, we shut down the Scope packing line over the weekend to start running the new cap design the following Monday. Late on the Friday afternoon prior to the changeover, we received a call from the CPSC stating "the chairwoman of the CPSC would like to talk to someone in a position of authority at P&G about the new Scope caps". After a frantic search for anyone still in the building who was sufficiently high enough in authority (and much panic), we found the division legal counsel, Tom Hillhouse (St Barnabas parishioner), still in the office downtown and willing to take the call from CPSC. After what seemed like an eternity, Tom called and said the "news was good" - the CPSC wanted to hold a joint news conference with P&G in Washington to highlight the Scope cap development as an example of industry and government working well together.”
Bob’s final project before retirement in 2001 was creating the manufacturing system for Crest White Strips. Bob explained that “the product was a new consumer product category and how to make it was unknown. The product was challenging - cutting out a sandwich consisting of an aqueous gel sandwiched between a stiff plastic backing sheet and a thin, flimsy plastic application film. After investigating somewhat similar products (band-aids, nose pore strips, etc.) and lots of consultations, it was determined that the best approach would be a line of rotary die cutting equipment. We located a small rotary die machine manufacturer in Minneapolis and developed several equipment lines to make and pack White Strips. White Strips have proven to be a winner in the market - still going strong after 20+ years. [Of note: St Barnabas parishioner John Ketchum was the Product Supply Manager for the White Strips introduction.]”
So the next time you see Bob singing in the choir or fixing a clogged drain at St. B, remember that his creativity and innovative spirit extend past our red doors and into your lives.
Ray and Kathy (Sis) Robbins joined St. Barnabas in 1984. They quickly became involved at St. B. Sis, in the ECW and Bridge and together they hosted foyer dinners, large couples gatherings and many baseball game outings. Ray served as Sr. Warden from 1985 thru 1988. Ray is remembered as a middle school teacher with a passion for fun, who along with his father, Merle, and the support of his wife, created the game of UNO®. There are many stories as to how this household game was invented and this version is from the May 2021 issue of Licensing Magazine.
"In 1971 the game was called UNO® simply because its inventors (Merle Robbins and his son Ray Robbins) thought this Spanish word sounded nice. That’s it! Merle Robbins was a barber from Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1971, at the age of 59, he invented the UNO® card game to settle an argument with his son about the rules of another card game called Crazy Eights. The first original decks of cards were designed and made right on the Robbins family dining room table with the help of Merle’s wife and daughter-in-law. Later, with their savings of about $ 8,000, they made the first 5,000 UNO® decks to sell. But how did they go from the first 5,000 decks to over 150 million sold worldwide? At first, Merle sold his UNO® decks in his barbershop but eventually sold the UNO® rights to Robert Tezak, a funeral home owner who was passionate about UNO® and had become a real fan. How much did he sell the rights for? Fifty thousand dollars, plus royalties of 10 cents per deck sold. So Tezak decided to found International Games Inc to market the UNO® card game and the offices were right in the backroom of his funeral home.
In 1992, International Games was acquired by Mattel and from that moment on, the game became popular the world over. Mattel has produced several variations of the game which are sold in 80 countries. With 150 million copies sold, UNO® is the # 1 card game in the world (according to NPD *) with 99% brand awareness.
Ray and Sis have both passed on, but their story remains alive and well in Harold Herron who was Ray’s Principal at Milford Main Middle School when he was developing the game. During a recent conversation with Harold, he revealed truths unknown to the general public about the development of this game.
“In the early 80’s, Ray was teaching 6th grade and one day he approached me and asked if he could use his students to develop a card game named UNO. At that time, we had a 40 minute lunch hour and he would ask the students to field test it for him. I gave him the approval and every lunch period for an entire school year, he would have kids play UNO and give feedback. “
“One rainy day, Ray came to me and said, ‘I have to go home, I have an emergency! I had the first batch of UNOs printed and they are on my front porch at home and I don’t’ want them to get wet!’ Ray, Sis and his dad, Merle poured their own cash into the beginnings of UNO. Ray and Sis would use their time during holidays and summer breaks to travel by car on interstates and by-ways peddling their card game from here to Florida.
Ray was a man with so many ideas that things were flowing in his mind all the time. He was one grand guy!”
Now you know the true story of how a St. Barnabas family inspired millions to connect and have fun. To keep their St. Barnabas legacy alive and well, you are invited to join the fun on January 28 at 5:30. We will play a round of UNO and share a family meal.
Stay tuned for more spotlight stories inspired by Y-O-U!
