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After 30 years, Joe Wirtz, a Metal Fabrication Worker, retired on Jan. 9, 2015. During his 30 years with the University, he made himself a valuable member of both OPP and Penn State.

Joe Wirtz and the catwalk he built for a generator outside the HFS building.

Wirtz has worked on countless projects, met many unforgettable people and made long lasting memories over the course of three decades. 

 He originally came to Penn State because he wanted to continue his career in welding. Wirtz started out in what he described as a very smelly first job in the pig barns before working in several other areas, including the power plant, waste water treatment plant, renovation services and with the high voltage electricians.

For Wirtz, one of the best parts of the job was that no two days were the same. "There were challenges every day," said Wirtz. "But I didn't do the same thing day in and day out."

When asked about some of his most memorable experiences, Wirtz shared a story about mending a pipe using metal coat hangers in the middle of the night. "Back when the Graduate Circle area still existed, the buildings were heated by an underground water system," said Wirtz. "In one building, there was a three-inch line that had developed a hole. At 2 a.m. I had to crawl down in a pit outside of the building to work on that line. I ended up using coat hangers to mend the hole and get the heat working for the people living there."

He also recalled working on a steam line in Mueller Lab during his time with Renovation Services. "Because the line was six inches from the wall, I had to tape mirrors to the wall so I could see what I was doing," he recalled. "You had to remember everything you were doing was backwards. Someone asked me how I learned to do that, but no one taught me that. It was something you had to teach yourself."

Now a week into retirement, Wirtz is already enjoying himself. He is keeping busy with projects around the house, cooking dinner for his wife and assisting the local fire department driving engines. In addition, he applied to drive a minivan to take special needs kids to school and plans to continue doing welding on the side.

He is also looking forward to a trip to Alaska with his wife and two other family members in May. "It's a 10-day excursion cruise with three days on land and seven days sailing along the Alaskan coastline," he said. They will visit Mt. McKinley and Denali National Park before cruising to Vancouver where they'll conclude their trip with one final tour. 

While enjoying his first taste of retirement, Wirtz looks back on his time at Penn State with a great fondness. "I always enjoyed working for Penn State and all the guys I worked with through the years. A lot of the guys would come to me for help with a problem, and I really enjoyed doing that. That's what I'll miss the most."