A Surge of Pride
by Edwin D. Hill, International President

It was a moment that can only be described as magical.

With the world watching, a switch was flipped, and the power flowed into the Olympic 5-ring symbol that had been mounted in lights in the hills overlooking Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Secretary-Treasurer O’Connor, International Vice President Jon Walters and I were among the delegation representing the IBEW. Watching the power surge into the rings was a moment of profound pride for us all, one that we will never forget.

We were there partly because the IBEW helped sponsor these games and because many of our locals had participated in a program to help current and future American athletes compete for their country. More important was that the lighted Olympic rings represented some of the best work of the IBEW. Our members—from Locals 57 and 354 in Salt Lake City—had volunteered their time to mount and light those rings. They did it under extremely challenging circumstances, as detailed on page 4 of this issue, and their reward was the pride in knowing that their work was seen across the entire world during the television coverage of the games. I cannot imagine that a more visible symbol of IBEW pride and craftsmanship has ever been seen by so many.

At the ceremonial lighting of the rings, the IBEW was thanked prominently by Gov. Mike Leavitt of Utah. Because of my great good fortune to lead a Brotherhood like ours, I was there and was mentioned. I did not take this as a personal honor; I stood there as a representative for all of you. So I want every member to share in that position of honor and in the tingle that runs through you at a moment like that. We received that honor because of the officers and members who helped shape the IBEW’s participation in the Olympics. The pride belongs to those brothers who scaled that mountainside to make the Olympic rings a glowing symbol of international understanding and sportsmanship—ideals sorely needed in today’s world. And by extension, the moment belonged to every man and woman who proudly carries the IBEW card and who has remained loyal and true to this Brotherhood. All of us shared in the spirit of this moment.

I thought back to our convention last September in San Francisco when we carried on despite the terrible attacks on New York City and the Pentagon. I thought of the emotion of losing so many lives, including those of our own brothers, and the uncertainty of beginning the fight against a shadowy, despicable enemy. And I contrasted that with the feeling of international goodwill that permeated Salt Lake City and its environs, and the pride of seeing U.S. and Canadian athletes gearing up to represent our nations while balancing the spirit of competition with that of harmony. And it was a reminder that the human spirit and the forces of good in this world are stronger than those who would seek to plunge humanity into darkness.

The electricity is no longer flowing into those Olympic rings. But the light that illuminated that night of February 7, 2002, in Salt Lake City burns on. It is a symbol of what men and women of integrity can be in this often dreary world. And it remains a proud symbol of what the brothers and sisters of the IBEW, united and standing tall, accomplish every day. The light continues to burn for all of us and within all of us. Long may it continue to guide our way to the future. 

  President’s Message

March 2002 IBEW Journal