Celebrating the art of the pivot

By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor

 

“Everyone is the star of their own life,” writes Norma Saken in her memoir May I Have Seconds Please?

In the memoir, Saken combines highlights of her life journey with recipes that are part of those stages of her life. Her interest in cooking stemmed from her realization at the age of 10 that her mother was not a very good cook.

“I enjoyed being in the kitchen,” Saken writes, “and started with the typical lemonade stand and graduated to hosting a restaurant in our backyard for the neighborhood kids.”

Throughout the memoir – and her life – Saken details the many pivots she has experienced: from being a receptionist at MGM in Los Angeles to moving to New York, where she got married; becoming a mother, then getting divorced and turning to waitressing to support herself and her children; and eventually becoming the executive assistant to one of the country’s top CEOs.

Saken, a member of the Mountain Jewish Community, read Chapter 4 of her book to the group at their May 10 meeting, held at the Mountain History Museum. Titled “Unexpected,” the chapter details her 15 years of working with that top CEO – Lee Iacocca. When she interviewed with him, she was working in the nutrition department of a hospital. Her daughter-in-law, who had a recruiting agency, thought she would make a perfect executive assistant and arranged for Saken to have an interview with Iacocca.

Even though Saken knew she was not qualified “on paper,” she couldn’t resist the possibility of meeting him.

She told him she had not taken the advice he gave in his first book: To choose a career path and stick to it to be a success. But, she told Iacocca, there had been a common thread in the jobs she had held: service. She added that he would never find anyone better at providing service.

When Iacocca asked her why she wanted to work for him, she pointed to the acknowledgements in his book. He had thanked his assistant at Chrysler, which indicated to her the kind of person he was.

“What I need and can’t buy is someone I can trust,” Iacocca told her. “Then I’m your gal,” Saken responded. Much to the surprise of his financial advisor and attorney, who were in the room, Iacocca offered Saken the job on the spot.

“He wanted someone to run his life,” Saken said. “Get things done with no fanfare. He was the most intelligent person I’ve ever met.”

She took care of his correspondence, wrote his speeches. Later, when Iacocca became ill, Saken became the house manager. And things went full circle as she cooked the comfort food for him that he wanted. The recipe for his favorite lemon cake is in Saken’s book (Page 117).

When Iacocca passed away in July 2019, his family asked Saken to oversee the sale of his house.

Raised in Los Angeles, Saken lived on the mountain for many years. She had a bed and breakfast in Wrightwood and now lives in Palm Desert.

To her, “pivot” means having second chances in life – being able to make a change when you need to or when you decide you want to. It means being able to change direction with as much grace and dignity as possible.

Saken had prepared a number of desserts – including the lemon cake – for the MJC members to enjoy. While they did, member Andy Lewis read a poem he had had AI create for Saken, asking it to include the word “forsaken.” One stanza reads:

Norma spun tales of adventure and grace,

Her memoirs a journey, a delightful embrace.

She seasoned her text with humor and bacon,

Her spirit so bright she was never forsaken.

Prior to Saken’s presentation, Midge Reisman, the MJC vice president, presented checks to Mary Jo Alari for the Lake Arrowhead New Friends of the Library and to Sandra Koos for the Rim of the World Historical Society.

MJC, Reisman explained, started in 1985 when a small group of people got together, wanting a presence on the mountain. The group tries to meet monthly and holds at least one joke night a year.

As a 501c3 charity, the MJC supports Mountains Community Hospital, the Rim of the World Educational Foundation, Arrowhead Arts Association, the Lake Arrowhead Rotary Foundation and other nonprofits on the mountain.

It was Reisman who drew the cover and the illustrations inside the book. Saken said she had given Reisman some stick figures she had drawn. The figures on the cover represent Saken’s children and grandchildren and depict what each does in life.

Saken’s book, which was published by the Flintridge Bookstore, is available online at flintridgebooks.com.