Retired Boilermaker attends convention for the love of it

HANS HOOGENDOORN, a retired member of Local 549 (Pittsburg, Calif.), has not lost his passion for the Boilermakers union. He was an active member of the Boilermakers for 53 years and now is attending this Consolidated Convention on his own dime for the sheer love of it. “This is my family,” he says of the organization.

The self-described “hard-headed” Hans immigrated from Rottenham, Holland, in 1953 and 10 months later volunteered for the Army, serving for two years. He went on to join Boilermakers Local 6 in San Francisco. (In 1986, the lodge merged with L-549, as did L-153 and L-749.) Starting as a helper, he soon worked his way up to Boilermaker rigger. Today, after 53 years of service, he is a living testimony to his own philosophy — “If you start something, you gotta finish it. And then you will succeed.”

“If you start something, you gotta finish it. And then you will succeed.”

His son Dave Hoogendoorn has continued in his father’s footsteps, joining the Boilermakers in 2004. Three years ago, Dave competed in the National Apprenticeship Competition, an experience he calls a real honor. He has recently been appointed Recording Secretary of L-549, the same local from which his father retired. The younger Hoogendoorn has also inherited his father’s love of the union, joining his dad at the 32nd Consolidated Convention as a guest.