My Dad’s Vocation….and NJIT

My father, Harold, was an automobile mechanic, an expert in both gasoline and diesel engines. He worked for Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G), a utility company in New Jersey that produced and distributed electrical power throughout the state. His job involved maintenance of the fleet of company cars and trucks. He started as a diesel engine mechanic but later in his career was promoted to Transportation Supervisor responsible for procurement and maintenance of Public Service’s complete fleet of motor vehicles.

My Grandfather Gunardson also worked for the same company as a steamfitter on large steam boilers used in the generating stations to drive the electrical generators. My Dad joined PSE&G sometime before the Great Depression and was employed there throughout the depression and ultimately until his retirement.

My Uncle Carl also was employed for a time by PSE&G and in fact there was a newspaper article published upon my Dad’s retirement that stated the Gunardson family had more cumulative years of service with PSE&G than anyone else until that time.

Before retiring from PSE&G, Dad became a member of the United States Power Squadron. The United States Power Squadron (USPS) offers educational courses in the basic knowledge required to operate boats safely and legally. Courses are offered in celestial navigation, advanced weather, marine engine maintenance, marine electronics and electrical systems, as well as sail, and cruise planning.

My Dad taught the USPS courses in celestial navigation and diesel engine maintenance well into his retirement years.

Today, there are several private companies involved in both inshore and offshore towing for private boats in distress such as Tow Boat US and Sea Tow, however, back in those days these functions were carried out by the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary in conjunction with the USPS. The US Coast Guard is still responsible for at sea rescue missions but no longer towing operations. I remember many times, often in the middle of the night, when Dad would take a phone call, grab his foul weather gear and his tool bag and head out to a rescue mission sometimes not returning home until the early morning hours.

When Dad passed away at ninety-one years old, a Coast Guard Auxiliary Chaplin approached me at his funeral and asked if he could offer a eulogy and bring a few of his guys in with their instruments to play a couple of funeral marches. Naturally I agreed and they proceeded to carry out their ceremonial. When they finished, they expressed their condolences and left. I don’t know if these guys actually knew my father or not, but it didn’t matter. They saw his obituary and called the group together. And since one of their guys, my Dad, had passed away they showed up and carried out their duty. Mom and I were honored and impressed.

Dad never boasted about his service with the USPS, but it was his way of volunteering for a worthwhile cause. His way of providing anonymous service. (**Note from Jill: This was one of my dad’s “rules” for life: provide anonymous service.  This will show up a few more times as we work our way through the stories.)

Dad didn’t have a college degree but after graduating from high school he attended technical school at what was then called Newark Technical School. I don’t know if he graduated with a diploma or just took courses. However, it is purely coincidental that I eventually graduated from Newark College of Engineering (NCE) which evolved from the original Newark Technical School. The college further evolved since I graduated in 1970 to now become New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).

A friend recently saw my profile on LinkedIn and asked me, “Is there really such a college called NJIT?” Well there is, and it has a long and illustrious history but until recently it was only engineering and engineers generally being an introverted bunch tend to keep a low profile.

An old joke about engineers is, “How can you recognize an extroverted engineer? He is someone that looks at YOUR shoes when he talks to you!” So, although NJIT doesn’t enjoy the acclaim of the larger better-known engineering schools such as MIT and Cal Tech, it’s academically rated just as high as those more famous and prestigious universities.

The most famous graduate of Newark College of Engineering was Wally Schirra, the astronaut that flew in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions in the 1960’s. He earned his BS in Engineering from NCE in 1945.

So long, good luck and have a nice day….