Yeah I was with my last organization for over 10 years, and that's how they treated me at the end.
At the end of the day how we make a difference is for the end-users. They will remember us, not the company or management. We just make as good of a day for them as we reasonably can, and do it consistently and we are better off.
That is horrible. I've made it a point to try and develop a relationship with the board members where I work. I didn't do that at my last job and when it was time to make cuts, they let me go with little hesitation. I think this time it would be a harder decision for them.