• Born in Charleston, South Carolina.

• Married for 22 years to Martina; they have two daughters, Francesca and Michelle, and a grandson, Brendon.

• Describes himself as safe, knowledgeable, patient, reliable and a stickler for detail. His coworkers would describe him as methodological.

• Enjoys taking long runs and running in charity races with his wife. He collects insulators, line hardware and old tools.

• His favorite chief was Dick Ryan, because he was methodical, took the time to teach others and focused on safety. His crew called Dick's truck the “time capsule,” because it was always stocked with what they needed.

Early Years

My interest in line work started at an early age because of my interest in insulators. I figured the best way to get these tools would to become a lineman. When I discovered that linemen make a decent wage as well, I considered it a win-win situation.

My first unofficial job with a utility was working as a ground hand prior to going in the Navy. The crews taught me how to ground hand and climb poles, which would be impossible in today's world.

The utility that I wanted to work for wasn't hiring when I graduated from high school, so I joined the U.S. Navy as a Seabee. I completed a total of 22 years active and reserve, and retired as a senior chief construction electrician. I was fortunate enough to be hired by Public Service Electric and Gas Co. after I finished active duty in 1987. When I joined PSE&G, my first job was digging holes for poles by hand.

Day in the Life

My typical day starts at 4:30 a.m., because I enjoy exercising prior to going to work. This habit is a throwback to my military days. I usually get to work about a half hour before start time to clean up. We have a “safety huddle” every morning prior to receiving job assignments. Out in the field, I pick up our assignment, set up traffic control, attend tailboards and then go to work. Our crew is currently working on circuit rearrangement and pulling new conductors. I also enjoy working with transformers and transformer banks, paralleling them and not interrupting power.

Challenges and Rewards

The challenge at present is the economy, which is an issue for everyone. Manpower levels and finding the right people to be linemen is difficult in today's high-tech world. Most people don't want physically demanding jobs. The rewards are self-satisfaction and knowing that we have a great impact on the public and everyone's safety, security and comfort.

Safety Lesson

I have always understood the importance of safety, but unfortunately a fatality drove this point home. We lost a young female Seabee when I was overseas, because she wasn't wearing her rubber gloves during a power outage on the base.

Working Storms

The most memorable storm moment was the 1998 ice storm in New York. PSE&G sent almost all of its crews there. Ice covered everything and was about 1-inch thick on barbed wire. This ice storm caused people to be without power for several weeks. These homeowners were some of the best people I ever met. They did not have power, but they came out and gave the line crews what food that they had on hand. They never complained about their situation.

Training Future Lineman

I am inspired by the proud heritage of linemen. As an adjunct instructor for the past 12 years and Inter-Utility Overhead Trainers Association (IUOTA) member, I try to pass on the knowledge, history and lessons learned to the future generations of line workers.

Looking Ahead

I've always enjoyed the work and being outdoors, and if I had to do it all over again, I would definitely take this career path. As a lineman, you have great personal satisfaction when the job is done or you have restored power to customers.

My plans for the future are to continue what I am doing as a chief lineman, adjunct instructor and IBEW Local 94 shop steward. I also plan to remain active in my company's union safety teams.