2014 Hall of Fame
Byron Dunn
Veteran Colorado lineman Byron Dunn spent most of his career forking for the municipal utility in Longmont, CO. In 1997 Byron started powerlineman.com. This was a website “Built By Lineman, For Lineman,” where they could network, learn from one another, find jobs, post pictures and stories, find vendors for tools and supplies, and much more. In 2001, Dunn began work on a quarterly magazine with the same purpose in mind. The inaugural issue in 2002, focused on the restoration of the electrical infrastructure in lower Manhattan following the 9/11 attack. Byron Dunn has spent the intervening years traveling the country to attend events, visit worksites, meet with organizations, and listen to the stories from the frontlines of the lineman trade in order to give them a voice in Powerlineman magazine and on powerlineman.com.
Ernie Waltz Jr.
Ernie Waltz Jr. devoted 54 years of service to the electrical lineman industry. He retired from Tipmon REMC in Linden, IN in February 2014. During his time as a lineman, he devoted himself to being a mentor and teacher. He shared his knowledge and experience to help improve work procedures during storm restoration work and never stopped embracing the changing and improving safety devices for linemen. At 76, he trained on and embraced the buck squeeze device and continues to inspire others with his leadership. Ernie’s commitment to training new linemen in safety as well as leadership has left a lasting impression at his local co-op and around the region.
Harvey Haven
Harvey Haven was born March 23, 1941, the same day the Bonneville-Grand Coulee line was energized. The army veteran joined Bonneville Power Administration as a groundman in Spokane, WA in 1964. He rose in the ranks at BPA and took his own time to educate himself, earning certificates in electrical engineering, power-line design, and power-line construction.With five lineman electrocution deaths in Haven’s first five years with BPA, he knew that safety was something he was passionate about improving. This led to his development of the famous “dirt box” teaching aid, essentially a scale model that could show exactly what happened when you weren’t properly grounding while you worked by using a lightbulb to illustrate when current would flow through a lineman’s body. In 1994, 30 years after joining BPA, Harvey Haven retired as Chief Safety Officer. Even at 73, he’s still writing BPA’s safety newsletter and teaching classes in safety, rigging, grounding, and more at the Technical Training Center in Vancouver, WA. Haven has been teaching across the country since before he retired from BPA in 1994, and lineman throughout the country know and admire him.
James McKenna
James McKenna started working for Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) as a groundman in 1961. He rose quickly, becoming general foreman within 10 years. By the end of his 35 years of service he’s served as Operations Manager and Manager of Robotics & Technology R&D Division. While working with R&D, Jim was instrumental in bringing new technologies to the field including directional boring, mobile infrared utility inspection, robotic assist arms, and the prototype robotic utility vehicle. He has also published several articles relating to his innovative work.
John Green
39-year lineman veteran John Green started out as a groundman with New Braunfels Utility and spent the last 20 years of his career as Electric Superintendent. He was a mentor and leader to all around him and greatly respected by coworkers out in the field and back in the office. John designed New Braunfel Utility’s Apprentice Program in conjunction with the Department of Labor. Over the course of his career he was instrumental in forming the Texas Electric Power Conference where he later served as an officer, he served on the executive board of the Municipal Electric Service Association, and has served on the board of directors for the Texas Lineman’s Rodeo Association. Outside of work, John is a tireless volunteer and well known within his community for his efforts within it.
