Waltz Marks 50 years of Employment at Tipmont REMC

A brutal winter storm in 1967 and a devastating ice storm in 1991 that toppled miles of poles are two memories of long work days for Ernie Waltz, a lineman who this year is marking 50 years on the job at Tipmont REMC.

“A storm is a storm. They’re all memorable,” Waltz says. “You go work them. But those two top the list.”

When he joined Tipmont in 1960 as a groundman truck driver, he was already familiar with what a lineman’s job would be. His father, Ralph Waltz, had been on the job at Tipmont since 1942.

Grew Up Around Line Work

“As a kid, I used to ride with him during the summer months or go out with a line crew and flag traffic,” the younger Waltz says. “And I already knew how to climb, because Dad would bring his hooks home and we kids would climb the poles.”

Born in Lizton, Waltz moved to New Ross as a young child, then came to Linden at age six when his father went to work for Tipmont. He graduated from Linden High School in 1955, then worked four years at Fairfield Manufacturing in Lafayette.

Loves Working Outdoors

“I didn’t dislike the job at Fairfield. But when I had the opportunity to work outside and particularly in this kind of work, I took it. I’d worked for farmers during high school, and I like being outside.”

After a year on the job at Tipmont, he was climbing poles. He’s since worked on an underground line crew, served as a foreman, and today operates a single-man service truck, responding to calls and requests. Waltz spent the first seven years of his Tipmont career working from its Linden, Ind., headquarters, then transferred to the Battle Ground office, where he continues working today.

For 37 years, he lived in a house on the same property as the Battle Ground office. “I was on call every other week in the early days. The company phones were in our houses, so I had to stay at home half the year. We didn’t have pagers and cell phones then.”

The house came down, along with another and the former office when Tipmont built a new Battle Ground facility, which opened in 2009.

Witnessed New Equipment, Technology

In his 50 years, Waltz has responded to hundreds of off-hours emergency calls and seen the electric cooperative’s size more than double, to some 2,200 miles of line.

The two most significant changes he’s seen are in advanced equipment, such as bucket trucks, and technology. “When I first started, you had to climb everything. The equipment we have today makes the work a lot different,” he says. “And the new technology and equipment in substations takes advanced schooling.”

In recent years, he’s been involved in larger commercial installations, including the new Clarian Arnett Hospital in Lafayette and two Walmart stores.

His coworkers and people he meets make the job great, he says. “I’ve made a lot of friends on the lines. That’s the part I really like, and the fellows I work with. Tipmont has been nothing but family for me.”

A Living Legend

Tim McCarthy, Tipmont’s chief executive officer, salutes Waltz for his dedication to the cooperative. “Besides his excellent customer service and skills as a lineman, Ernie is a walking history book, a living legend at Tipmont,” he says.

“Sure, he’s eligible for retirement, but he loves his work, enjoys working with Tipmont’s members, and provides first-rate service. We’re pleased he’s not yet turning in his hooks or gloves.”

When Waltz does take time off, he enjoys traveling with his wife, Doris. “We go on cruises and even just drive around the state.” They’re also regulars at the Talladega race. And family time is important; they are the parents of three sons and grandparents of five.

“I’ve been real fortunate to have a good job and make a good living at Tipmont,” he says. “Not everyone gets that opportunity.”

Waltz has not set a retirement date. “You keep your mind sharp by working,” he said. “And I like to stay active.”

By Kathy Mayer, a Lafayette, Ind.-based freelance writer.