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06.15.12 PersonalFaces : Mike Plummer |
I never had an older brother but if I wouldve, I would have wanted him to be like Mike. To borrow a phrase from country folk, Mike is good people. He grew up on a farm at the edge of Davidson county with a brother and sister. They didnt have all the luxuries city people had. While I spent my childhood days either playing in the woods or chasing, throwing, and kicking some kind of ball around, Mike was gathering firewood, milking cows, or working on farm equipment. When a boy grows up with responsibilities he becomes a man much faster. Hes knows things us ball chasers have no clue about. It was a good thing that Mike grew up quickly, when he turned eighteen he was drafted into the military and served our country with honor in the Vietnam war.
I first met Mike when I went to work for Duke Power Company. He stood out from the rest of the crowd by the fact that his clothes were always clean, his boots shined, his belt buckle directly above the zipper line on a pair of blue jeans that were properly creased. Mind you now, this was at 4:30 after a day of working eight hours or more in the hot sun with rubber gloves and heavy equipment. I was assigned to work with Mike on a line truck. He took me under his wing and patiently tried to teach me the skills necessary to become a good lineman. I remember my primary job was to make sure no tools were left on the job site as we traveled from one location to the other. On our second job of the first day, we got out of the truck and reached for the shovels... they werent there. Wheres the shovels? Mike asked. I guess I left them at the last job I sheepishly replied. We got back in the truck drove twenty miles back to the first job and there laying out in the field were the shovels... and my gloves, and a hand tamp, and a ground rod driver, and my hammer! Geez, it looked like someone was getting ready for a yard sale. In one way I felt badly about it, in another way I felt lucky that I wasnt left behind. You might not be able to convince Mike, but I learned so much working with him--not just a few job skills but other things as well. I learned things like doing for others, and keeping a positive attitude when life isnt going your way. I miss working with him and I miss listening to the stories he told on rainy days about his childhood and the time he spent serving on the front line in Vietnam. Im grateful for his service to our country and for his friendship to me. I love Mike Plummer... the older brother I never had! |
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