REA sync

I’m superstitious about syncs and resonances. When I run into a nice resonance it presages better times.

Browsing through REA publications in Googlebooks. Because they’re public domain Google has full view on more recent editions of the REA magazine, not just pre-Steamboat Willie as with most magazines. In a ’62 edition I caught a familiar name: Dwight Nesmith. Same one? Yes, he was an engineering prof at K-State. I knew his daughter and met him a couple times.

The article hits a heavy resonance. Earlier tonight I had been thinking of the steps Manhattan took in the early ’60s to bring in “clean” industry. They established a Research Park on the west bluff of the Wildcat Valley with a mix of office buildings and fancy houses. They also brought in a McCalls factory that printed sewing patterns.

Nesmith was suggesting EXACTLY those moves in his article. He recognized that farming was losing jobs due to automation, and warned local governments to start attracting industries fast before their revenue ran dry.