Historical Research Helps
100th Celebration
March 2003 IBEW Journal
Local 246, Steubenville, Ohio, is
among the few IBEW locals that has kept its original number and
location throughout its 100-year history.
Years of research leading to its anniversary last
November revealed the local’s unusual stability and other
historical facts that enriched the celebration. Members basked in
the milestone in a dinner complemented by an historical video and
program. Among the guest speakers was International President Edwin
D. Hill, former business manager of Beaver, Pennsylvania Local 712,
which borders Local 246 to the west.
"Our two locals have had a longstanding relationship
and we have helped each other out when one of us experienced a shortage
of power," said Local 246 Business Manager Kyle Brown. "You
could always get quality people out of 712 and I think they had
the same feeling about us."
Research into the local’s history, spearheaded
by retired Business Manager Jim Cunningham, was aided by the cache
of articles stored at the International Office where Journal staff
keeps files of each Local Line by local union number. Cunningham
used that material to follow up with the local historical society
and library for additional information, Kyle said.
President Hill also helped the local by reissuing
its charter in 2001, giving 246 a continuous charter that included
the years the local joined the Reid-Murphy faction in the early
1900s.
"It was very important to us to tie the last
100 years together," Brown said.
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