$160

I will try to make a long story short. I don't guarantee that it will work but trying is half success.

In 1960 I got my first reasonably good job at a construction site asn assistant to the field engineer. My title was rodman. We took measurements, laid out things for the many subcontractors working on the site. It was good work, I liked the job and the environment. I think I got the job through a placement sevice.

I seem to remember my weekly pay fror 40 hours  of work was about $80-$100. My wife worked, our needs were minimal at that time and so were or expenses. Even with this low pay were able to save.

I worked with a young man by the name of Al at he site, Al was my immediate boss. He was married, he had a car, a house and a child. His pay was $160 a week. This amount burnt into my memory because at that time I thought if I ever make this much I will have it made.

Slowly, as I changed employments my pay increased but never reached the magic $160. Finally, in 1967 I went to work for this engineering company, where I stayed for 40 years. At the time of my hire they asked me to fill out a bunch of papers and one of them was how much was I asking.

You guessed right, I put down $160 a week! You can imagine my great surprise when not only they agreed but they increased it to something like $170. I was stunned by their generosity but it was explained that according to my classification this was the rate I was getting.

I didn't care green is green. I felt my dream had been achieved, I arrived at the gates of total happiness, I made it in this country.

Naturally, 40 years later my salary was a little bit more than the magic 160.