1 Director's Report

Published by the Telecommunications History Group, Inc. DENVER, COLORADO (303) 296-1221 www.telcomhistory.org Spring 2012, Vol. 16, no. 1 Jody Georgeson, Editor Director’s Report a very good time to bring your friends and family for a tour! We’re can hardly wait for Spring The Seattle Museum of to arrive. In many parts of the Communications has expanded its country, we’ve already had spring- hours to include Sundays. They have like weather, but we know Mother already had nearly 50 Sunday Nature may have some tricks left up visitors and expect more as word her sleeve for us! Once again this gets around. If you are in or around year, we will be giving tours of the Seattle, be sure to visit. The historic Mountain States building Museum is still open on Tuesdays, during Doors Open Denver as always. weekend, April 14th and 15th. See Thanks to many of you, dear their web site for more information. members, our Endowment fund http://www.denvergov.org/doca/Denv continues to grow. We have over erOfficeofCulturalAffairs/DoorsOpen $700,000 in the fund to date, with Denver/ more in pledges, to be realized later. We’ve been doing some Spring Our membership response continues cleaning. A volunteer crew spent the to grow as well. If you haven’t either day recently at the Lakewood, CO renewed your membership, or CenturyLink Training Center, where contributed to the endowment fund, we refurbished our displays. These please consider doing so soon. used to be in lobby of the 1005 17th Doing either (or both!) will ensure Street. that you continue to receive the Dial- Our museum in the 931 14th Log. Street building has been closed for a few months, while construction was being completed on the floor above us. So another day was spent cleaning and rearranging that museum. All of our displays are in tip-top shape, now, so this would be 1 Women’s History Month were more patient, pleasant and helpful. CenturyLink Women’s group • It was one of the first employment held a special event on March 18th opportunities for women. Others in honor of Women’s History Month. were: It was held in the MST&T o Domestic help headquarters building on the o Teachers historically preserved 14th floor, and o Telegraph operators included THG displays and museum • The Company became in-loco- tours. We also produced a women- parentis, so that parents would oriented timeline and outline of allow their daughters to work: historical interest. A lap-top in the o Lounges with matrons boardroom had links to our virtual o Classes on health and museum tour of the 931 building. deportment Jo Lynne Whiting (THG board o Could not come to or leave member) and Brenda Snyder gave work with a man a fascinating talk about the history of o Dresscodes/fashion advice the women’s organization from its o Married women not eligible start in 1979 at Mountain Bell, and its to work at company evolution through U S West, Qwest, locations (married women and now CenturyLink. could operate switch I thought you’d enjoy some boards in their own highlights from the history of women homes) in the phone company: o Chief operator was “house Operators mother” • First operators were young men, • Women in the company were given to rough-housing and foul commonly referred to as “girls” language. until the 1970s • Women were hired because they 2 • Men began to be hired as women was seen as a token, operators after the 1973 Consent since the companies had done Decree. nothing to prepare women for management assignments, so few were successful. • The 1973 Consent Decree allowed women to apply for “non- traditional jobs” such as installer, cable splicer, utility clerk, driver, etc., and to move up the ranks into management in Plant and other traditionally all male departments. (Ruthann Lundering was the 1st female service foreman) • 1977 - Blanche T. Cowperthwaite became Mountain Bell’s 1st female director. A hook was put under the table in the Board Room for her to hang her purse. • 1979 – Women in Management (WIM) was formed in Denver at Mike Lewis, Davenport Operator,1975 Mountain Bell – Sandy st (Branson) Nance was elected 1 Women in Management president. Groups in Phoenix and • 1935 - Madge Ulrich, Glendale, Albuquerque soon followed. The AZ; was the 1st female manager organization became U S West in the Bell System Women, including all women • In most cases, women managers employees. were confined to the Commercial, • 1979 – Connie Bragg became st Human Resources and Admin. Mountain Bell’s 1 female Services Departments until the department head (Operator 1970s. Services) • Statistics published in 1969 by • 1986 – George Ann Harding st the EEOC showed that 55% of becomes Mountain Bell’s 1 Bell’s work force was female, but female officer (VP Wyoming) a woman had only a 1 in 300 Women Heroes chance of being promoted to • 233 American women served as middle management (a white operators in France, some close male’s chances were 1 in 4.5). to enemy lines, during WWI. • From 1959 until 1970, Mountain Others filled in for male telephone Bell’s Initial Management company employees here at Development Program (IMDP) home. When the troops returned, was open only to men. AT&T’s these women went back to being special assessment center for “the girls” at the switchboard. 3 • Bea Coucher, chief operator in switchboard while warning her Missoula, IBEW rep for the Rocky neighbors to flee the flood waters Mountain region in the 1920s – of the Dry Cimarron creek. was the highest-ranking woman in the nation’s labor movement at My Personal Favorite the time. She led strikes in NY By D.J. (Don) Ostrand, Curator and Chicago, though not in the the Museum of Communications Mountain States. • Susan Parks; 1916; Columbus, I've been asked to write a brief NM Mrs. Parks notified General story about a favorite, artifact in the Pershing of Pancho Villa’s attack museum. Now that should be a and kept at her switchboard as snap, but wait -- that's not so easy bullets flew. The board, with after all. bullet holes, is now in the Having been involved with the Albuquerque telephone museum. Museum of Communications in • Mildred (Millie) Lothrop; 1920 & Seattle since 1984/85, I've seen the 1940; Homer, NE – Twice in 20 collection grow to an enormous size. years, Millie saved lives as the Selection of a single item, with so Omaha Creek flooded. many to choose from, is difficult at best. Realizing that telephone service is based on what we called "central" in the old days, maybe some part of the central office switching equipment should be my favorite. We have plenty items to consider: the operational Panel Switch (sole surviving unit known to exist), the #5 XBAR (cross bar) would be good and something I worked in for part of my career; maybe the #1 XBAR as I really lack experience in that technology; I love the step switch equipment and the CX100 equipment with its 10-party lines. Without "central" there would be no need for the rest of our industry. • Etta Willcox; 1921; Williams, IA - Then I think of the rattling noise Bank robbers cut all the of working Teletype Machines (TTY) telephone and telegraph lines and they bring back memories. And into town, so night manager the "Key and Sounder" circuits that Willcox drove to a town 5 miles only existed in the movies for me, away to notify police. but were an important means of • Sally Rooke; 1908; Des Moines communications. Telephone Company; Folsom, New Mexico – Sally died at her 4 But wait -- we have a good network to the PSC. Here the service display of telephone sets from was assigned a telephone number (if beautifully polished-wood wall not pre-assigned by the BO), phones to candlesticks, to desk sets determine the cable and pair or wires and coin phones. Maybe our Silver that extend from central to the Dollar Coin Phone or the 11-digit dial service address, and assign the Strowger potbelly desk stand or our central office equipment. With those collection of colored model 302 sets added to the service order, it was (we are missing only the blue set), or distributed to the central office and maybe it would be Ted Hewitt's installation crew for action. Once the Timbuktu service was collection installed the with a repair service working and Local model 105 Test Desk magneto (LTD) switchboard. retained a The copy of the simulated service order "manhole", in file as an underground "as built" cable ducts, record if aerial cable repairs were and open necessary. wire lead The PSC complete transmitted a with poles, copy of the cross-arms, completed insulators service order and drop over the wires completion carrying network to working the billing circuits from office to start a magneto the billing switchboard. Turning the crank on a process. Our replica PSC is a rare wooden wall phone and hearing bells item, (I worked in a real one). Could ring across the room. Is the basic it be my favorite? telephone circuit my favorite or I like our displays of business maybe the new fiber optics? "on premise" equipment, too. If As I mentally go through the customers had more than one line museum we have a Plant Service the company installed a "key system" Center (PSC). When a customer or a PBX ("private business called the "business office (BO)" to exchange"). The collection displays order service, a service order was working models of both.

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