 In January 1964, "Parents" transferred him to Arlington, Virginia, as the southeast division manager, but after a dispute with the company president he returned to his previous position as west coast division manager in San Francisco.Over the next few years, Erhard brought on as "Parents" staff many people who later became important in est, including Elaine Cronin, Gonneke Spits, and Laurel Scheaf.While largely self-educated, Erhard was influenced by or worked closely with academics, philosophers, thinkers and artists.