Was your dad in the electric business?

[jtedesco1]

My Dad was, he was nicknamed "Jimmie Edison" he was a tough guy!

He made me rip off pipe off the wall because the level showed it to be a little off, just followed the block line I said Dad, never-mind do as I say he said.

Man I sure miss that Guy, he really was my stepfather though, but I knew him as my Dad, my real Dad was not an electrician, I found out after meeting him when I was 21 years old that he was involved in boiler maintenance, I even have his license.

I have been cleaning up my storage bin and was reminded of long ago when I worked in our business Cato Electric Company, in the Bronx, NY.

Jimmie did encourage me though, cause he bought me my first NYC codebook, it came with removable screws to be used when amendments where made, nothing like today though, oh and don't forget the envelope Joey, put it in the panel on the right side with the front facing out!

Time sure flys! Now I am an Old Fart too!

[Speedy Petey]

My father was a butcher.
So was my mother and her parents in Germany until after the War.

[Paul W. Abernathy]

My father owned and worked in the car sales industry, My brother bought me into this industry and I just HAD to be better than him so it was a competition thing.

My fathers alive still, just got a kidney transplant out of the blue....figured with Lupus, Diabetes, Kidney Failure and High Blood Pressure..his chances were slim...but he got that magical call in the night.

Ok....now for the Car Salesman jokes....

[Marc D. Shunk]

Really nice story, Joe. That's your next article. Shop that one around. It's heartwarming.

My father was a spec home builder turned hotel manager. I grew up in a tall old downtown hotel. Followed fitters, tinners, electricians, and elevator repairmen around since I was knee-high. Electrical work held the most appeal. Kinda scares me now, looking back and realizing that I was very young, standing face-to-face with live front switchgear mounted on slate backboards, studying it. You don't see much of that left, nowadays. My entire growing up took place on about 1/4 of a block, from below the earth to the clouds. When you grow up in an old downtown hotel, which are more like tennament houses in truth, you meet some very interesting people. I was glad to have known them all, good and bad, even if their names escape me as the years pass by. That building was converted in recent years to a home for the aged, I hear. I fully intend to spend my final years there, if it still exists when I'm ready.

[kmcmahon]

My father owned an HVAC business, but changed to resort owner when I was a wee lad.

[Speedy Petey]

Originally Posted by pabernathy

My fathers alive still, just got a kidney transplant out of the blue....figured with Lupus, Diabetes, Kidney Failure and High Blood Pressure..his chances were slim...but he got that magical call in the night.

Diabetes got my dad when I was 15. Seems like yesterday, but even though it is "only" 25 years ago, things were quite a bit different in those days.

[Greg Fretwell]

Grandfather.

[Stephen W. Stanczyk]

My dad retired after 45 years with General Telephone. Worked pbx installation and was one of only 2 with top secret clearance for entrance into Delco and Raytheon that were working on US Govt. projects. He pulled so much wire over those years. Loved poles, hated crawl spaces. When he and my godfather retired (the other person with top secret clearance) they got called back as consultants at hundreds per hour since the govt had stopped handing out the clearance needed. I think they made a couple years salary during the first 6 months of retirement. Finally called it quits. He was meticulous in his wiring. You could always tell his work from the newer guys.

[Russel Ray]

My dad gave me a rotten banana when I was five years old, my "reward" for coming home after dark. That's the only memory I have of him.

My dad's parents raised me. Granddad was a Road Foreman of Engines for Missouri Pacific Railroad. He knew engines, electricity, and real estate. But my wise ol' Grandmother, with a first-grade education, knew life.

[dfogleman]

My father was a chicken farmer, postal contractor, landlord and dreamer...which of course did not make him an electrician but that didn't stop him from doing it anyway!

He taught himself math, electricity and anything else he needed to know...lost him 18 years ago, when his big heart went bad.

It's good to remember, thanks Joe!

[smcarthur]

My dad was a coal miner, died too young from Black Lung disease, he never did any electrical work. He was very active in the Union, local president for a number of years. My grandfather was an electrician, but was retired by the time I was old enough to know him. He had a neat pet crow, I do remember that about him.

[bandag]

Well, my dad grew up on a farm, he then worked at a hardware store, later a steel mill, had his own auto repair biz, bought and sold property, but the closest he ever came to being a electrician was when he worked for the phone co. (before I was born). He would climb the pole to do a repair and had this neat old phone (so I was told by my mom), rotary dial with 2 clips to hook on the wires, he would call my mom and set up a date for later that day, when his boss would come over and ask what he was doing up there he would say that he fixed the problem and was just testing the line! My grandfather was a stone mason by trade, came over from the old country, some of the stone walls he built in the 30's and 40's are still in very good shape today and straight. They both are long gone now.