Ron starts his day at 7 a.m. and usually arrives about 20 minutes early. His job has two main components-he's either working with insulation or asbestos. "We get together as a group and figure out if we have emergency calls that throw the schedule off. Maybe there was a steam leak during the night or a burst water pipe that was covered in asbestos. We work a lot with the OPP Heating & Vent guys, plumbers, and electricians. In the summer we're involved with the contractors. If they're digging a ditch and run into transite (asbestos) piping we can respond immediately if needed."

OPP's Secret Arts & Crafts Division

The insulating part of Ron's job is mainly patching. If the plumbers replace a valve or a strainer, Ron's crew will create a custom fitting insulation patch and re-cover the pipe. They use fiberglass insulation on heat lines and Armaflex (closed cell foam) insulation on chilled lines. This involves careful cutting and shaping to fit the job. It takes a lot of measuring and drawing everything out. "We were doing a job in Housing one day, and a supervisor was watching us work. She said, 'Oh, I see the scissors, I see the tape measure, the ink pen, the ruler-I suppose you guys are doing arts and crafts today!"

Wanted: Contortionist-Must Know Left from Right

Cutting insulation is usually done with one person cutting on a table and a co-worker up a ladder. Clear communication is essential for a precise fit. "The ladder guy calls out the measurements, and you draw it on the insulation, cut it out, and hand it up. He then looks at you and says this isn't going to work. He measured left to right and you cut right to left."

The top three skills for installing insulation are:

• Knowing your left from your right
• Being to read a tape measure, 16th, 8th, and ¼ count
• Having a former life as a circus contortionist

"Lot of times we work in tight locations above conduits, drain lines, and ceilings, so it's important to have someone on the crew who is short, thin, and able to bend their body into strange shapes."

Complaints & Commendations

Sometimes customers get upset over smelly fumes when the crew glues pieces of Armaflex insulation together. It has a strong odor, and they have a legitimate complaint. "A few years back, we had an Armaflex job in Armsby. It was a 4" chilled line and a real bugger to do, jammed up against the ceiling and covered with conduit. It was bad, and the customers complained strongly about the odor. We changed the entire project to evenings and weekends just to accommodate the customer."

Ron started at OPP as "permanent part-time" cleaning plaster and clay off the floors in the Visual Arts Building. 

"Here I am trying to do a great job so I can be hired full time-proud of the sparkling floor I just cleaned at 1 a.m. An art student comes in, sits at the potter's wheel, and starts throwing clay all over my clean floor! Art students have no sense of timing." 

Floods & Blizzards

One of Ron's first OPP emergencies was the flooding of Pattee Library when the water main under Curtin Rd. burst. "Water poured into the library, ran down the steps, and damaged thousands of books. OPP was desperate to get every able-bodied worker back on campus to help. I responded to the call and helped clean up the mess. We picked up carpets, runners, and pumped out lots of water!"

The blizzard of '93 happened right after Ron was promoted to full time. "It snowed so hard, when you looked at an arc light all you saw was snow fog. We shoveled hard all night long. It just kept coming down faster than we could shovel. After shoveling all night, we got a break, and they put us up at the Nittany Lion Inn. We were well taken care of and the hotel provided some great food." 

Later on, Ron joined the labor crew with Ed Behrers and ran the snowplow truck. "My area covered the Housing & Foods Building and Salvage. Shoveling was more physical and stressful, but driving the truck was worse mentally. You have to watch for pedestrians and vehicles. You could be plowing a lot and easily back into a buried vehicle at 3 in the morning. The Midnight Clear alerts really help empty the lots and make our work easier!"

Retirement

Ron likes to hunt in Hornel, New York, north of Bradford, Pa. "Their deer season starts a week before ours, so it's a good head start. I used a shotgun the first year, but now use a .270 Remington rifle for increased accuracy." 

Ron also enjoys fishing for crappie in the Glendale area on his Sullivan 14' fishing boat and taking his wife for rural rides in their Polaris side-by-side ATV. He has five grandchildren and builds rocking horses for them in his wood shop. His grandson hits a lot of home runs in Little League, and Ron built him a custom display case in the shape of a home plate.

In retirement Ron hopes to take his wife on day trips to visit their kids and may relocate to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. If this plan works out, he hopes his co-workers  come to see him. "I want you to come and visit, eat a breakfast with me, and fill me in about the latest news from OPP, I would really love to have you." 

Ron's many friends at OPP wish him a great retirement and plan to keep in contact!