Cyrus Ching was the first Director of Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), serving from 1947 to 1953.
In the Spring of 1964 during Jerry Barrett’s orientation to FMCS, he attended a lunch with other new mediators at the historic Occidental Restaurant, where the Cuban missile crisis had been resolved a few years earlier, just one block from the White House. While the enjoyment of visiting that historic restaurant was great, it didn’t compare with the guest at the table. Cyrus Ching regaled the group with his humor and wit throughout the entire meal. His best story came at the end of the meal when he began filling his pipe with tobacco. As he did that, he said:
“Notice how long this process with my pipe can take.” Then he held it high so everyone could see it clearly, and said: “My pipe is a wonderful mediation tool because it can take as much time as I wish to fill it, light it, relight it, or clean it. When I do that in a mediation session, with all eyes on my pipe and me, there is a long pregnant period of awkward silence, and very often it will be eventually filled by the voice of a nervous bargainer expressing unintended but useful information.”
In the first photo, Cy Ching is shaking hands with new mediator Bill Rose as he give him his official credentials.
In the second photo, Director Bill Simkin is handing an honorary plaque to Cy Ching, while Mrs. Ching looks on during the of 20th anniversary of FMCS in 1967.
