Grandpa would’ve said ‘told you so’
Mary Van Wagnen’s career is a story of rebellion and redemption.
BNN
No matter how often her grandfather pleaded, Mary Van Wagnen would not consider working for Boeing.
Retired from the company after 35 years, Carl Van Wagnen was sure his granddaughter and former employer would be a great fit. Mary admired Carl but, having grown up near the company’s sprawling facilities in Seattle, wanted something new and unfamiliar.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in recreation administration and leadership from Washington State University, Mary started a career in experiential education. She led executives through professional-development activities, such as ropes courses, and felt relieved not to spend much time at a desk.
Left: Mary Van Wagnen celebrates college graduation with her grandfather, Carl. Right: In her career before Boeing, Mary designed and built ropes courses. (Courtesy of Mary Van Wagnen)
Carl was proud of Mary but still determined. “Get off those ropes and come to Boeing,” he’d say. When Mary dug further into her chosen profession, earning a master’s degree in recreation administration and experiential education from Aurora University, Carl finally gave up.
Carl, an industrial engineer, had spent the 1940s through 1960s sorting out ways to improve airplane production. It didn’t matter whether a problem was close to home in Seattle or across the country in Wichita, Kansas, where Boeing had a plant at the time. The tougher the ask, the quicker Carl got there.
Carl Van Wagnen (second from left), next to the worker in a white coat, observes B-52 engine production in Wichita, Kansas. Carl’s granddaughter, Boeing employee Mary Van Wagnen, thinks Carl would have advised today’s employees to respect data but always “go to the product and talk to people to learn how to help.” (Courtesy of Mary Van Wagnen)“He always said you couldn’t solve a problem by sitting at your desk,” Mary recalled. “You have to go to the source.”Those words came back to her, and she decided to give Boeing a try. Mary joined the company as a 787 quality inspector in 2007 — 10 years and eight days after Carl died. In that first role, she spent most of her time in the factory, examining airplanes to verify the forward and aft fuselages were properly joined with the center fuselage.
While Mary knows Carl would have been delighted for her, she also is certain he would have pointed to her 15 years and counting in Boeing’s Quality organization and said: “Told you so!” She willingly admits he was right and hopes he can see how closely she has followed in his footsteps.
Left: A shadow box commemorates the bond Mary Van Wagnen shares with her grandfather, Carl. Mary’s five-year and 10-year service anniversary pins rest next to each of Carl’s. A placeholder awaits Mary’s 15-year pin. (Courtesy of Mary Van Wagnen) Right: Mary holds her 15-year service pin and her grandfather’s. (Mary Araki photo)Like Carl, Mary has spent her Boeing career helping teammates build increasingly sophisticated aircraft in newer, safer and better ways. She has worked at some of the same U.S. locations where Carl once problem-solved, but she has also traveled for Boeing to Ireland, Wales, Romania, Germany and Italy. Sometimes, when she gets stuck trying to find an answer, she’ll think about what her grandfather would have done. The solution, she said, has an eerie way of becoming clear.
Carl Van Wagnen, second from right, receives his 15-year service pin at Boeing’s Thompson site in Tukwila, Washington. (Courtesy of Mary Van Wagnen)Carl had a knack for turning clunky processes into smooth ones. He is credited with making significant improvements in B-52 engine production. His granddaughter has made her mark by helping Boeing implement and uphold its Quality Management System. That system and the company’s Safety Management System serve together as a roadmap for meeting conformance and compliance standards, so that Mary and her teammates deliver safe, perfect products.
“Without safety and quality, you don’t have a product,” said Mary, now a senior manager of Quality for the E-7 program. “You just have a broken promise. Quality affects everything we do. It has to be part of everyone’s mindset at all times.”
Mary Van Wagnen, center, receives her 15-year service pin at Boeing’s 14-01 building. Stu Voboril, left, vice president and general manager for E-7, and Shaun Brown, Mobility and Surveillance quality director, present the award by the P-8 production line. (Mary Araki photo)Mary has worked on multiple commercial and defense aircraft. When she hears others ask “What does Quality think?” or “Are we following the correct procedure?” she knows that the team around her prioritizes safety and quality above all else. Peers value her knowledge and determination to work through complex issues — and they aren’t the only ones.
When recruiters contact Mary, she explains no one will be able to offer her an experience greater than what she already has. She simply can’t imagine being anywhere but Boeing.
“There are just so many specialties and exciting things to do here,” she said. “If I get even mildly bored, my leaders find me something more difficult they know I will enjoy,” she said.
Mary let teammates know the only place she wanted to receive her 15-year service pin was the 14-01 building in Tukwila, Washington — the same place where her grandfather received his 15-year pin in 1960.
When Mary's award took place on Nov. 7, she pictured her grandfather in his old stomping grounds, repeating what he told her decades ago: “Look around, Mary Frances. All this could be yours.” The memory made her smile and think: “Yes, Grandpa, it certainly is.”
Boeing is celebrating Quality and Manufacturing teammates. Activities include Boeing Total Quality Week Nov. 4-10 and a Women in Manufacturing fireside chat on Nov. 16.
By Elaine Brabant
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