Leo
I met Leo...I'm guessing back in about 1979 or so. At that time, he hadn't yet started his own company and was working for Tiner Tower Company. He had stopped by to inspect and relamp KDCR's tower. He always had a big grin, with a slightly mischievous grin, and a good firm handshake.
Did I say Leo had a mischievous grin? Well, there's a reason for it. Leo had a mischievous streak in him. On the tower or on the winch, Leo was all business, but if he had opportunity otherwise, he loved to antagonize his friends. If you were a friend of Leo's, there's a good chance you experienced one of his "brake tests" if you rode with him in his truck. He'd spot a good clear spot on the road, where there was plenty of loose gravel. Then he'd announce "brake test", and give a good slam on the brakes and scare the daylights out of you.
My friend Cal was often a target of Leo's tricks. One of Leo's favorite things to do was to get ahold of Cal's truck keys, lock the truck door, then walk away. Later on, Cal would go to retrieve something from his truck and would find all the doors locked. Leo would be off at a distance, soaking it all in as Cal would check his pants pockets then his jacket pockets, one at a time, looking for his keys. Next, frustrated, Cal would go around and check each of the doors to see if maybe one was unlocked. It would get to the point where Cal would finally give up and sit down on the back bumper of his truck, only to see Leo bent over in laughter. I don't know how many times I saw the scene played out, but I know I was a witness at least at Oskaloosa, Sioux Center & Waverly, Iowa, St. Francis, South Dakota and Columbus, Nebraska.
Another Leo trademark was where Leo would eat. There were two very important parameters and one less important factor that determined where Leo ate. I'm not sure which was more important to Leo (maybe equal importance?): the food had to be good and it had to be cheap. He also liked a decent sized portion, but that was nowhere as important as the cost and the quality. Prior to meeting Leo, the only "Chinese" food I had ever had was the sodium-laden La Choi, out of a can. Now, when you're a kid and that's the only Chinese food you've had, you don't have much of a chance to form a positive opinion about it. The first time I ever ate real Chinese food was when Leo took me to a Chinese restaurant not too far from his shop in the Des Moines area. Later on, when we were working in Columbus, Nebraska he took me to a great Chinese restaurant named "Dino's Diner". Leo always knew where the good (don't forget cheap) places to eat were! It's like he had a sixth sense for it.
When it came to work, Leo was a real stickler for two things (which often overlapped): "do it right" and "do it safely." Neither the amount of time it took nor the amount of physical discomfort were considerations.
Something I've observed with just about all of the people I respect for: they're always genuinely interested in the people they have contact with and they've refined the art of giving other people encouragement. Leo was no exception.
Earlier this summer, I heard a news story about an accident at an Iowa Public TV transmitter site. I knew that Leo did a lot of work for Iowa Public TV, but I told myself first of all, it could have been another tower company and second, Leo was in his late 50's and probably would have had younger riggers on the tower. The tension increased when I heard that 3 men had been killed in the accident. A few hours later, when the phone rang, and Linda told me it was Cal calling, I felt a chill. I picked up the phone, and all I said was "Leo?". Cal said "yup." We were both stunned that we had lost a very good friend. One thing that made it more difficult was knowing how much Leo emphasized safety. We both remember the positive impact Leo had in our lives.
What I learned later was that Leo and his two guys had fallen from around 1100 feet. Damage to a rope that had either gotten hung up or abraded was responsible.
Did I say Leo had a mischievous grin? Well, there's a reason for it. Leo had a mischievous streak in him. On the tower or on the winch, Leo was all business, but if he had opportunity otherwise, he loved to antagonize his friends. If you were a friend of Leo's, there's a good chance you experienced one of his "brake tests" if you rode with him in his truck. He'd spot a good clear spot on the road, where there was plenty of loose gravel. Then he'd announce "brake test", and give a good slam on the brakes and scare the daylights out of you.
My friend Cal was often a target of Leo's tricks. One of Leo's favorite things to do was to get ahold of Cal's truck keys, lock the truck door, then walk away. Later on, Cal would go to retrieve something from his truck and would find all the doors locked. Leo would be off at a distance, soaking it all in as Cal would check his pants pockets then his jacket pockets, one at a time, looking for his keys. Next, frustrated, Cal would go around and check each of the doors to see if maybe one was unlocked. It would get to the point where Cal would finally give up and sit down on the back bumper of his truck, only to see Leo bent over in laughter. I don't know how many times I saw the scene played out, but I know I was a witness at least at Oskaloosa, Sioux Center & Waverly, Iowa, St. Francis, South Dakota and Columbus, Nebraska.
Another Leo trademark was where Leo would eat. There were two very important parameters and one less important factor that determined where Leo ate. I'm not sure which was more important to Leo (maybe equal importance?): the food had to be good and it had to be cheap. He also liked a decent sized portion, but that was nowhere as important as the cost and the quality. Prior to meeting Leo, the only "Chinese" food I had ever had was the sodium-laden La Choi, out of a can. Now, when you're a kid and that's the only Chinese food you've had, you don't have much of a chance to form a positive opinion about it. The first time I ever ate real Chinese food was when Leo took me to a Chinese restaurant not too far from his shop in the Des Moines area. Later on, when we were working in Columbus, Nebraska he took me to a great Chinese restaurant named "Dino's Diner". Leo always knew where the good (don't forget cheap) places to eat were! It's like he had a sixth sense for it.
When it came to work, Leo was a real stickler for two things (which often overlapped): "do it right" and "do it safely." Neither the amount of time it took nor the amount of physical discomfort were considerations.
Something I've observed with just about all of the people I respect for: they're always genuinely interested in the people they have contact with and they've refined the art of giving other people encouragement. Leo was no exception.
Earlier this summer, I heard a news story about an accident at an Iowa Public TV transmitter site. I knew that Leo did a lot of work for Iowa Public TV, but I told myself first of all, it could have been another tower company and second, Leo was in his late 50's and probably would have had younger riggers on the tower. The tension increased when I heard that 3 men had been killed in the accident. A few hours later, when the phone rang, and Linda told me it was Cal calling, I felt a chill. I picked up the phone, and all I said was "Leo?". Cal said "yup." We were both stunned that we had lost a very good friend. One thing that made it more difficult was knowing how much Leo emphasized safety. We both remember the positive impact Leo had in our lives.
What I learned later was that Leo and his two guys had fallen from around 1100 feet. Damage to a rope that had either gotten hung up or abraded was responsible.
posted by Rich at 8/13/2006 05:21:00 PM
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