Down Memory Lane

Retirees Form Club 1973 (from I.B.E.W. Journal)

The Local 103 Retired Members Club is off and running. The elected officers are President J. Edward Sharkey, Vice President Charles Thiessen, Secretary Edward Cunningham, and Executive Board members Edmond English, Joseph Corcoran, Edward Sweeney, Joseph Vassallo and Edward Smith. John Burke is the Sergeant-at-Arms. There are 242 pensioned members in our local. If you have not joined the club and wish to do so - even if you are out of state - please contact President Sharkey for further information.

Retirees Corner 1973 (from Local 103 Electrical Union World)

Our first thought is one of gratitude to the officers and members of L.U. 103 for our present club. It is impossible to place the right emphasis where it belongs, but a special "kudo" to the late Joe (Arthur) Slattery for all his legwork and interest and a great big plug to Joe Nigro who carried the ball and saw all the dreams brought to fruition. A very special thanks to all of you who bought up all or chance books from that hustling committee of "Minute men" when they visited your jobs and whispered "Take a chance Brother". By the way, we hope to see you again after the outing. The opening day at Florian Hall in Dorchester was much like a Harvard Alumni meeting. Shaking hands, renewing old acquaintances, a pat on the back, former arch enemies now in warm embrace, all this in unbelievable renewal that caused the meeting to spill over to the late afternoon. We must have the fun, the stories of pulling 4/0 and bending 4" conduit almost prevented the Chairman from announcing the new officers. Incidentally the second election takes place in October.

We look for the usual sound trucks and stump speaking, but no tapes. We meet each month around a delicious luncheon and then compose ourselves to view pertinent films, listen to tops in their fields on Social Security, Medicare, inheritance tax laws, investments and an occasional outburst from the former reticent L.U. 103 members. It can be a treat to hear Barney Noonan tell how he personally brought the Stanley Cup to the Bruins by asking Joe Casey to up the wattage over the enemy net. The humor can be stimulating like when former unpopular foreman told of how he was so successful, a former employee said that the only ones who would be happy to work with him would be the gravediggers.