Old School = My Grandfather Lyle:
He joined "Northwest Bell" in 1917; cutting right of way through stands of old growth trees/forests along the Iowa side of the Mississippi from Dubuque to Maquoketa, Cedar Rapids, Dyersville & Guttenberg; cut every tree in a 50' swath for miles with a two-man saw except one every 150'; denude it to 35', top it & bore it with a brace & bit while on old style gaffs; tension cable using a horse team then creosote or tar the pole. Do this in 100° summers and -30° winters, then maintain it during the same. When a blizzard came, the only lifeline for an entire town was the toll cables between towns and patrolling the toll routes was crucial. Do that for days on end using a horse-drawn sled in a mid-plains blizzard. And do it all for 35+ years without a complaint. Hard work: that's Old School.
Pioneers had a way of life that is hard to understand in today's context. I learned years later of a incident in the mid-30's: he was driving to a nearby city on a Sunday with wife and family in the family sedan. A woman driving a coupe overturned on the road ahead of him. He stopped and rendered aid: she had gone through the windshield and was bleeding badly (no safety glass in those days). He did the best he could in bandaging her up, then climbed a nearby pole in his Sunday best and without gaffs, clipped into the toll lines and summoned an ambulance from the next town. They came and picked her up and she survived, only due to his assistance. It took some doing to find him to later thank him, as he didn't think he warranted special attention for doing what any man in the same situation would have done, and hadn't left his name. Character: that's Old School.
He burned a pole in 1953 and busted his back up; they put him in the warehouse until he retired in 1963 with 45 years of service. He never liked the warehouse, but they wouldn't let him hook a pole again. He passed on in 1980. Tireless service, loyalty to the craft and quiet dedication to God, family and community. That's Old School.
Re: Old School????
Member #: 44965
Registered: 3/12/2006
Posted:
42
Name:
Homer D.
Company:
Self
Occupation:
Fiber Tech/PBX Installer/Tier III Support Rep
Location:
Nashville, TN
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