Hi! My name is Bob Yelavich. The family name is pronounced "Yel-a-vic" and believe me we have had a lot of fun telling people to "Follow the Yelavich Road". I was born in Parma, Ohio, in 1934 and spent most of my growing years in the Cleveland area.
After my four years with the U.S. Navy, I joined IBM in 1957 at Kingston, New York and began my 40 year career with the company. For the first six years, I worked in what was then called the Federal Systems Division. In 1963 I joined the marketing division and because of my large systems background, I was very active with the introduction of the IBM 360 in 1964. In 1968, fate connected me with the Customer Information Control System (CICS) and I worked with it for the remainder of my career. I retired from IBM as of December 1996, but continued to work with CICS until 2006 on a part time basis, conducting seminars and writing newsletters.
I lived in Ohio from 1934 to 1957, and after joining IBM, I moved to the following locations:
With each IBM move came a promotion or some personal advantage. I have never regretted moving and living in different parts of the country. In 1995, while still working for IBM, I moved back to Sparks, Nevada in preparation for my retirement. Four of my five children and all my grandchildren live in California, so I'm ideally positioned to visit them as well as enjoy the benefits of living in an area that has multiple advantages to me personally.
During the last fourteen years with IBM, I spent considerable time conducting CICS seminars and writing newsletters. During my first year of retirement in 1997, I did mostly personal things, but at the request of many, in 1998, I resumed a part time working career. I have been able to manage my calendar, keeping fifty percent for doing non-work related things (I love to travel), while the remaining time has been used to conduct seminars and to resume writing newsletters. I'm having fun!
If you would like to know more about me, click on the other pages listed above and let me tell you more about my IBM career, my family and my personal interests.