Yeah, we were all stunned when Hollis was stepped over, for Mo'Ron. There were a couple rumors going around, that somehow Ron was 'connected' to a couple guys on the Board, the guy from Coke specifically. And the other rumor was, "Hollis is too old, they wanted someone younger and 'fresh'." Ron was like Hitler, and he HATED pilots.

Back then, if you wanted to work for Delta, you started on the ramp, loading bags and/or cleaning toilets. If you did a good job, maybe you could move inside, to cleaning crew, if you did a good job at that, maybe you could move up to Gate Agent. But everyone who touched a Delta Airplane, worked for Delta, and they wanted to do a good job, so they could move up.

Supposedly, after Ron graduated from Georgia Tech, he came to Delta, and was being groomed for management, but he did some time as a gate agent, to learn the business. The story goes that he got into it with many, many, many Captains, over who was in charge of the flight, prior to pushback, and mx delays, etc.

That was where his hatred of pilots started, but it got worse when, later, he was in Personell, and on the company Negotiating Team. I flew F/O for one of the DALPA Negotiators from back then, and when it was announced that Ron was taking over, this guy said, "It's going to get ugly for pilots! I sat across the table from this guy during negotiations, and I've never seen anyone who hates us as much as this guy!"

I only heard Hollis speak that one time, when he came to talk to our new hire class, but he was very nice, old school, "Welcome to the Delta FAMILY" kind of guy, everyone spoke well of him. Where as Ron was known as the psycotic dad who picked up the gun and wiped out the Delta Family.

We all wished that Hollis been chosen over Mo'Ron.