Local Lodge 40

Local 1 • Chicago

JOHN SKERMONT, BM-ST of Local 1, Chicago, reports presentation of membership pins to the following:

45 YEARS — Kenneth Maddox, Robert L. Maus; and
35 YEARS — Frank M. Koteles, Jeffrey J. Murphy, Michael P. Murphy.

Local 40 • Elizabethtown, Ky.

MICHAEL AUTRY, BM-ST of Local 40, Elizabethtown, Ky., reports presentation of membership pins to the following:

Nephew of L-40 retiree is inspiration to many

WHEN PRODUCERS OF the new Hawaii Five-O series needed someone with bionic hands for a remake of the 1973 episode “Hookman” last year, they turned to Jason Koger, the nephew of David Koger, a retired member of Local 40 (Elizabethtown, Ky.).

Jason, 33, lost both arms below the elbow following a 2008 four-wheeler accident involving a downed electrical wire. The near-fatal accident left him with a pair of mechanical hooks as well as a set of advanced bionic hands that allow finger movement.

GRADUATE APPRENTICE Blaine Coulter, Local 169 (Detroit), won first place at the 25th annual Boilermakers’ National Apprenticeship Competition, held Sept. 23-27 at L-169’s training center in Dearborn, Mich.

Thirty-two Boilermaker dependents earn awards totaling $50,000

THE BOILERMAKERS’ International Executive Council scholarship committee announced the winners of its 2012 scholarship program this past April. The committee awarded $50,000 to 32 scholarship recipients, with $38,000 being allocated to U.S. applicants and $12,000 to applicants from Canada.

Local 1 • Chicago

John Skermont, BM-ST of Local 1, Chicago, reports presentation of membership pins to the following:

$416 million project will generate renewable energy

ABOUT TWO DOZEN Boilermakers are working under National Transient Division articles of agreement to build draft tube liners for the $416 million, 84-MW Cannelton Hydroelectric Plant near Hawesville, Ky.

National Steel Erection, Inc. (NSE) has the contract for the liners. Each is 30 feet in diameter and 60 feet long. Their function is to direct water from the Ohio River through turbines, turning generators to produce electricity. The project adjoins the existing Cannelton Locks and Dam.

Members install control systems at Kentucky power station.

EIGHT TOP BOILERMAKER graduate apprentices from across the United States tested their skills during the 24th annual National Outstanding Apprentice Competition held at the Local 7 (Buffalo, N.Y.) training facilities in Orchard Park Sept. 25-29. Contestants competed in written and practical tests. They were graded individually and as teams from their respective geographic areas. Judges included veteran Boilermakers and contractor representatives.

Lawmakers get reminder that Boilermakers vote

THE LATE TIP O’Neill, who served as Speaker of the House for 10 consecutive years, authored a book titled “All Politics Is Local.” What he meant by that statement, which he attributed to his father, was that politicians should never forget where they come from — and who their constituents are.