Female lineman retires after 30 years
WAYNESBURG – About 30 years ago, in a predominantly male work world, Dorothy Cunningham literally climbed to a place where few women had ever been: to the top of a telephone poll. Cunningham was working as an operator at Alltel in Greene County when a job as a line worker became available. She and a female co-worker joked about stepping up to apply for the job, saying that if the men could do it, so could they. However, Cunningham was the only one who really had an interest in doing it.
“Although I didn’t know much about the work they did, I had two kids to raise and I needed the money. So, I decided to go ahead and apply for the job,” said Cunningham, a Waynesburg resident.
While the danger of climbing up to work on cables frightened her at first, it was not the only challenge she faced. She also had to work hard at gaining the acceptance of her male co-workers.
“It was difficult at first because I could sense that they didn’t want me there. In fact, I heard through the grapevine that they said they were not going to help me when I started,” she said.
Workers would fall down from the posts, and it happened to everybody at some time, Cunningham said, but some of the men resented her so much that when it happened to her, they made fun of her.
Cunningham said that on some days, when facing a treacherous ice storm or the taunts of her co-workers, she questioned her job choice.
“I started to wonder what I had gotten myself into, but there was no turning back,” she said.
Cunningham attributes the attitudes of the men she worked with to the simple fact that women doing their jobs made them feel threatened at first; however, they did begin to accept her in time.
“I think they accepted me eventually because I never gave them a hard time and I always did my work. And it also helped that I baked for them every once in a while,” she said. “I like to bake, so I would bring cookies sometimes, especially around the holidays.”
Her job was not an easy one, and it isn’t the safest work by any means. Cunningham explained that a few of her falls resulted in broken bones, including her ankle and a few ribs.
But after she got used to her work and started getting along better with her male colleagues, she began to enjoy her job.
“You have to make yourself learn how to climb to the top of the poles. The longer you do it, it’s like nothing to you. After several years of doing it, it didn’t bother me, ” she said. “Once I got out there and started really doing the work, I was never bored. The job was really challenging, and that is what I liked about it.”
The aspect of the job that Cunningham said she enjoyed more than anything was meeting so many people.
“All of the customers were different, and I really enjoyed talking to all the people,” she said.
It was this part of her job that led her to the next activity that will occupy her time during her retirement, which began March 1.
“I am taking care of an elderly lady that I met while I was fixing phones. Now that I’m retired, I might like to continue doing that in the future.”
In addition to using her time to help others, Cunningham has two grandchildren to keep her busy, and she plans to remain active and make good use of her free time.