When a Line Worker Retires

Congratulations Daniel Philips!!

At Daniel's retirement breakfast, his daughter presented this message:

Equipment Operator, Apprentice Lineman, Journeyman Lineman, Crew Foreman, District Foreman, Safety Director, Director of Operations - all of that in a career spanning almost 4 complete decades.

If that doesn't scream loyalty, dedication and passion, I'm not sure what does.

Access has always been his second family, but my sister and I grew up in this family too - the men he worked with in the beginning weren't just co-workers, they were our uncles. Uncle Don, Uncle Ira, Uncle Mike, Uncle Steve...

We played with their children and often spent time at each other's houses. This wasn't just his job, it was a huge part of his life and he found a way to balance work and home so we never felt left out.

There was never a time when he would come home from a long day here and not have time for us even though he'd often clock out of this job only to come home and have to work on something else. But he'd never complain or let on that he was burning the candle at both ends. He was simply doing what he knew needed to be done to provide for his family. My dad spent more waking hours here than at home, and often times was still handling work things even after leaving the building. All the years he spent on call, all the afterhours work. He definitely put in his time.

Being the daughter of a lineman meant growing up never knowing when our dad was going to be gone. That is a job that is dangerous in good weather but add in extreme weather conditions and it was even worse. Small children are often scared of storms but for us it wasn't the storms that scared us, it was because we were certain to have to say goodbye to our dad at any given time when a bad one popped up. Ice storms would come up in the winter and he'd be gone at a moment's notice to go help others in other parts of the state sometimes, leaving us to sit and wait patiently for his return. Back in the days before we had cell phones to keep us connected, we'd spend the whole time waiting for him to call and check in, just to know that he was ok. When weather forecasters say "stay home, don't be out on the roads, it's too dangerous" you can be certain that men like my dad will still have to be out and in those treacherous conditions working to restore power and they do it because they genuinely care.

Looking back, those things that made me so sad as a child make me so proud now. Knowing how much he cared about others and the safety and comfort of his members. It's truly something that makes my heart so happy and I know is another reason why Access is so lucky to have been able to have over 38 years of commitment from him.

I know that my mother, my sister and myself are extremely grateful for everything that my father has done in his long career and for every opportunity he has given us. Every sacrifice he made so that we could be comfortable and live the life we have been able to. Now it's time for him to put himself first and take time to do all the things he's always wanted. Congratulations dad. We're so infinitely proud of you and can't wait for this new chapter in your life that starts today.