"I was in the Marine Corps, and when I came out, I went back to work for a contractor. He paid me $1.50 an hour, which was a decent wage at that time. I had the skills to do whatever was asked of me, and I climbed the ladder from journeyman carpenter to a foreman superintendent. I worked in the field for 20 years, on commercial and residential jobs."
"I started going with him on jobs when I was 7 or 8 years old. He later trained me to be a carpenter, but he passed away when I was in high school. I was in the Marine Corps, and when I came out, I went back to work for a contractor. He paid me $1.50 an hour, which was a decent wage at that time."
"I was asked to go into the St. Louis District Council of Carpenters' office as a business representative in 1978, and I stayed with the union for 20 years, representing 12,000 people. We negotiated contracts, pensions, health insurance, and welfare. Business Insider's "80 over 80" series draws on interviews with the growing group of Americans working past their 80th birthdays. They discussed their careers, retirement planning, living expenses, healthcare, and life lessons."
He was raised in a working family with long hours instead of fixed schedules. His father was a contractor who taught him construction skills from age seven or eight. He served in the Marine Corps and returned to construction, earning $1.50 an hour and advancing from journeyman to foreman superintendent over 20 years on commercial and residential jobs. From 1978 he served 20 years as a business representative for the St. Louis District Council of Carpenters, representing 12,000 members and negotiating contracts, pensions, health insurance, and welfare. He returned to part-time cooking after his wife became ill to supplement retirement income. He lived modestly, prioritizing home purchases and daily expenses.
Read at Business Insider
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