Jack Wide Award
We have all witnessed those moments at an operating session… someone has made a catastrophic mistake, and we are so glad it wasn’t us. This is particularly true because along the way it has happened to all of us.
Most layout owners and session hosts would love to memorialize the occasion and mildly embarrass the perpetrator. It’s all in fun.
The OPSIG Jack Wide Award is intended to be bestowed upon a guest who has made that catastrophic mistake and hopefully it will be worn as a badge of honor. Hey, nobody died, and you can’t fail unless you are out there trying things.
Layout Owners and Hosts can bestow the JACK WIDE AWARD on an operator who messes up big time. You will receive the coveted JACK WIDE AWARD button with a certificate to give directly to the offender, or we will send it for you.
The inspiration for the JACK AWARD name is from a real-life character, Jack Wide. Here is his story: In the late 1800s, a baboon was officially employed as a railroad signalman. He was paid in money and beer and never made a mistake. Jack was the pet and assistant of paraplegic signalman James Wide, who worked for the Cape Town-Port Elizabeth Railway service. James "Jumper" Wide had been known for jumping between railcars prior to an accident where he fell and lost both of his legs. To assist in performing his duties, Wide purchased the baboon named "Jack" and trained him to push his wheelchair and to operate the railways signals under supervision. An official investigation was initiated after a concerned member of the public reported that a baboon was observed changing railway signals at Uitenhage near Port Elizabeth. After initial skepticism, the railway decided to officially employ Jack once his job competency was verified. The baboon was paid twenty cents a day, and a half-bottle of beer each week. It is widely reported that in his nine years of employment with the railroad, Jack never made a mistake. After nine years of duty, Jack died of tuberculosis in 1890. The baboon got it right every time. Our Jack Wide Award honorees… didn’t.
INQUIRIES ABOUT AWARDING THE JACK WIDE AWARD SHOULD BE MADE BY OPSIG MEMBERS TO: info (x) opsig-ap.org.
The OPSIG Jack Wide Award is intended to be bestowed upon a guest who has made that catastrophic mistake and hopefully it will be worn as a badge of honor. Hey, nobody died, and you can’t fail unless you are out there trying things.
Layout Owners and Hosts can bestow the JACK WIDE AWARD on an operator who messes up big time. You will receive the coveted JACK WIDE AWARD button with a certificate to give directly to the offender, or we will send it for you.
The inspiration for the JACK AWARD name is from a real-life character, Jack Wide. Here is his story: In the late 1800s, a baboon was officially employed as a railroad signalman. He was paid in money and beer and never made a mistake. Jack was the pet and assistant of paraplegic signalman James Wide, who worked for the Cape Town-Port Elizabeth Railway service. James "Jumper" Wide had been known for jumping between railcars prior to an accident where he fell and lost both of his legs. To assist in performing his duties, Wide purchased the baboon named "Jack" and trained him to push his wheelchair and to operate the railways signals under supervision. An official investigation was initiated after a concerned member of the public reported that a baboon was observed changing railway signals at Uitenhage near Port Elizabeth. After initial skepticism, the railway decided to officially employ Jack once his job competency was verified. The baboon was paid twenty cents a day, and a half-bottle of beer each week. It is widely reported that in his nine years of employment with the railroad, Jack never made a mistake. After nine years of duty, Jack died of tuberculosis in 1890. The baboon got it right every time. Our Jack Wide Award honorees… didn’t.
INQUIRIES ABOUT AWARDING THE JACK WIDE AWARD SHOULD BE MADE BY OPSIG MEMBERS TO: info (x) opsig-ap.org.