Foster Retiring Early From Pacific Telesis
More members of Pacific Telesis’ top management announced on Tuesday their intent to take early retirement, thus following the lead last July of the the holding company’s chief executive, Donald E. Guinn, 54, and his counterpart at Pacific Bell, Theodore J. Saenger, 59.
Tuesday’s batch include vice president Gerald D. Foster, 57, head of Southern California operations for the San Francisco-based parent firm. Foster said he will retire at the end of the year to devote more time to his walnut and almond ranch in the San Joaquin Valley town of Vernalis, ending a 35-year career with the company and its predivestiture predecessor, Pacific Telephone. Also stepping down at year’s end will be John Parkhurst, 59, vice president for governmental relations, also a 35-year veteran.
The latest retirements triggered a number of appointments:
- Foster will be succeeded on Dec. 1 by Trevor Jones, 56, president and chief operating officer of PacTel Cellular, a subsidiary based in Irvine. Jones will be replaced by Jeffrey R. Hultman, Pacific Bell vice president for Northern California operations.
- Parkhurst’s successor will be Dick Van Allen, 53, Reno-based president of Nevada Bell, Pacific Telesis’ other local phone company.
- Van Allen will be replaced by Dennis R. Mulkey, 47, vice president and chief operating officer of Pacific Bell Directory.
- Ross Brown, president and chief executive of Pacific Telesis International, will succeed Mulkey and be replaced by Jan Neels, the unit’s vice president for operations and marketing.
The present early-retirement incentive program, which expires Nov. 30, allows participating employees to add five years of service and five years to their age in calculating pension benefits. Employees with at least 25 years’ service, but younger than age 65, can leave at this time with an enhanced pension. And employees with as little as 10 years of work with the company can retire with an enhanced cash benefit.
Pacific Telesis spokesmen declined to reveal how many employees have so far taken advantage of the early retirement program, but industry analysts have said that they thought the company was hoping to trim its present payroll of 70,000 by about 1,500 employees.
