4211 S Lone Pine Ave.
Springfield, MO
"Litton Advanced Circuitry was a division of Litton Industries, which was a major conglomerate and defense contractor, specializing in printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing and other high-technology electronic components and systems. Litton Advanced Circuitry was primarily located in Springfield, Missouri, but the site was acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001. Operations at the Springfield facility ceased, and the site was eventually demolished in 2008"
Welcome to a special edition of this trivial, silly journal effort. I felt the need for the above 'explainer' since my fan base has changed significantly over the last couple of decades.
I worked at ACD/IPE (Advanced Circuitry Division/Interpak Electronics) for around 15 years. My wife, who I first met there worked there for 17 years.
I started as a test equipment technician, on the factory floor, then was promoted to Engineering Assistant and eventually to Network Engineer and Network Manager. I was laid off in August 2001 along with a few hundred other employees as the tech industry bubble burst. We made circuit boards. We specialized in "BUTS" boards (Big, Ugly, Thick Suckers) otherwise known as backpanels. Back in the mainframe days companies like IBM, DEC, Wang, Unisys etc. made big central computer systems. These computers had an enormous 'motherboard' with slots for several 'daughter' boards. These motherboards could be 1, 2 or 3 feet wide and just as tall. They were usually multi-layered circuit boards, laminated layers sandwiched together, 1/4 inch or more thick. These boards were usually ordered in relatively small quantities. Sometimes only one or two for prototype orders.
It was a chemical process, copper clad sheets of fiberglass, which through multiple photochemical processes, the unneeded copper (most of it) was etched away, leaving the circuitry behind. Lots of acids and caustic chemicals were used to accomplish this.
Employing as many as one thousand souls during its peak, tapering down to the mid seven hundreds, on average, during my tenure, LOTS of friendships developed. Those of us that worked there spanning a decade or more were very much like a family.
Those of us still in the area, those of us still LIVING in the area, get together every three months for a casual lunch. Typically around a dozen to as many as twenty old timers, at various restaurants, very much a casual affair.
The first several minutes each time is spent re-introducing ourselves to each other, without
embarrassment, since we are all above or well above retirement age and may not have seen
Since returning to the Springfield area in late 2024, after NOT living in the area since 2001, I've been able to attend all three of these lunches that have popped up.
This was the second time at Galloway Grill, I already knew what I would order.
The Place:
On the Southeast corner of the city, there was once a post office in Galloway, along with several main street type businesses. The town of Galloway never was very big, population-wise, there was the old rail line, now mostly a trail, and a river-feeding stream.
Currently there is a little revitalization going on, hipster apartments, a roundabout, probably a few upscale condos nearby.
The 'Grill' is in an old clapboard sided building, repurposed and added onto a few times over the past years. The current owners bought the place early this century, after standing vacant for a few years following a lease dispute. They renovated it but kept intact much of the old-school character. It's a bar and grill, pool tables, several TV screens playing muted sportsball events, friendly, short skirted, dutiful servers scurrying about.
The Food:
The double-sided, laminated menu offered soups and salads, burgers and sandwiches. I hear the burgers are quite good. Since this was the middle of the day and I was driving, I did NOT
Nor did I order fish and chips, primarily since they don't seem to offer that. My backup, here
stateside, when I'm not in the mood for a burger is a BLT. Galloway Grill makes a really, really good BLT. LOTS of lettuce and crispy bacon on this selection. Listed on the menu as a KC style BLT. I have to admit I have no idea what that actually means. It did list, specifically, that Hellman's brand mayonnaise was one of the ingredients . . . maybe that's it?
The bacon was the real star though, cooked perfectly crisp, some would even say 'brittle'. Very smoky as well.
The plate came with "Beer Fries" which, as best I could tell, just crispy fries with some sort of seasoning sprinkled on. I tasted no beer, or even beer batter, at all. Just seasoned fries. Pretty darn good fries though.
Summary:
I may insist that my family let me take them here in the near future, or the distant future. I've only seen it at lunchtime though, dinnertime could very well be quite different. The lady sitting beside me said this was her favorite bar.
The lunch as an event was super. People I once knew only casually became old friends. No fights broke out, but a lot of energetic conversations, and lots of laughter. Some of the conversations continued in the parking lot, a few hugs were exchanged. . . . plans for the December get-together were already being made.
