Skinny Dipping

A few years ago, in the Palo Alto Apple Store, I was approached by a lovely blonde lady who said she needed a new computer. When her name came out during the subsequent transaction, it turned out to be Nadja Swarovski. I asked her if she was a relative of the Swarovski crystal company of Austria. She said, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I'm a board member of the company."

"Well," said I, "be sure to tell Manny Swarovski hi for John Reed. It happens that he and I went skinny dipping together in 1973 in the little Austrian town of Gösing!"

It turned out that Manny was her uncle, having passed the reins of succession for running the Swarovski company down to her generation. I had gone to Austria in 1973 to teach some Eastern Europeans (a Russian, some Poles, a couple of Bulgarians) about semiconductor technology and what it could do for them in their businesses and countries. Manny Swarovski sat in on our little conference; I'm not sure I even remember why he was there. But late one evening, after a little beer and wine had found their marks, a group of us took to the hotel swimming pool for skinny dipping.