Joseph E. Crowley grew up in eastern Pennsylvania, living alternately in a small coal-mining town and in Philadelphia. He graduated from LaSalle College in the middle of the Depression, and later received a law degree from Temple University in Philadelphia. When World War II broke out, he joined the Navy, serving as a special representative of the Undersecretary of the Navy for personnel problems ranging from espionage to vacation policies. After the war ended, he continued as a civilian personnel director, based at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. After retirement he joined the faculty of the Philadelphia Community College and taught organization and business law. He also traveled throughout the country holding training sessions in labor management negotiations. On the occasion of his 95th birthday, he has collected some of his stories for this book.