Peter and Elizabeth Fleming

Max got it wrong again and he did not offer you a job with IBM. It needed a
true jungle stint in Johannesburg to mould you into a true IBMer and you
were hired in Johannesburg to assist with the installation of ALIS (
Advanced Life Information System) at African Life. This installation was a
milestone in IBM, being the only ALIS site outside of North America. Bruno
Ganter was our lead man in the installation having been working on the ALIS
development in Canada. I was the salesman, desperate to get the damned
system installed. Only when we had knocked all the rough corners off, which
took considerable dedication in the White House, did we send you to a much
more refined Cape Town, a branch which nobody ever left and which was
atrophying before your arrival.

That African Life experience made you many firm friends in  the Insurance
branch and the Ganters and Mattisons became inseperable. The Flemings also
got pretty close, but I had not the capacity for beer consumption which you
and Bruno had. You will remember, now that I jog your memory, some of the
African Life people, not all of whom were too competent - Ed Brown, DP
Manager, Ed Jurisich, Ops Manager, Frank Lofthouse, the  GM who made the
decision, Clements, the actuary. You will also recall that amazing SE, Ian
McGregor. Since we (I) had also sold a 2321 Data Cell which would be the
only Data Cell outside of North America, we decided that we should switch to
a 2314 Disk Array. You said, and you were in good company, " Huge job, maybe
can't be done". We gave the task to McGregor and when I approached him the
next day to see what his assessment was, his reply was " Done!!!"

I was always glad that I was not you. I could be content in the mediocrity
of my life and would never have been able to handle being so good at so many
things - Pianist, Organist, Conductor, Choirmaster, Bridge, Chess,
Programming (and sometimes in machine language), being a chartered
accountant , a lecturer and a rallyist. Not that you ever lauded these
skills over any of us. I recall you rescuing me (again) at a Rotary concert
organized by Dennis Solomon for the Mondeor Scouts. I had put together a
male voice quartet ( with Don Ribbans, Alsidair Yuill, myself and someone).
I chose the music - Yellow Bird, Surrey with Fringe on Top and Steal Away -
and was directing the group. I did not have the music skills to do this and
we were headed for disaster. Enter Keith Mattison to direct and Voila! The
beer was good, too!

And then the yachtsman, a passion that subjugated such trivialities as
entertaining. The first time we visited for dinner with you in Cape Town,
which dinner you were supposed to have been cooking, you graciously pitched
one hour late since the wind was so good, shrugged off Ruth's frozen looks
and proceeded to braai with the usual aplomb and beer in hand. But yachting
became just another Mattison passion - Cape to Rio and back just another
little adventure

You were bloody lucky to get Ruth and I hope that you have recognized this.
There is not another woman strong enough to have put up with your energy and
foibles all these years!

Nobody who came into contact with you will forget you and, with lecturing
and music included, you have positively touched the lives of well over a
thousand people. That is a life well lived.

Peter & Elizabeth Fleming

083 601 9988 - Elizabeth

072 275 0068 - Peter

021 702 4641 - Landline

O866 709 365 - Fax