My name is Michael Holmes, and I live in Hanover, N.H. My grandfather, William Holmes, was with the IBEW for nearly 50 years. Here’s a photo of him installing lights on the outside of the Empire State Building.

He had four kids, including his youngest, my father, David Holmes. My father was the first person in his family to go to college, thanks to a scholarship from IBEW. It covered his undergraduate and graduate studies at Fordham. My father often told the story of his being awarded the scholarship at the IBEW union hall and not realizing the implications of what was happening until he looked over at his own father and saw tears in his eyes (a rare and nearly unprecedented occurrence).

It was truly life-changing, not just for my father but for generations after him. He went on to get his Ph.D., travel the world and have a long and successful career helping college students decide what they want to do with their lives. My sister and I both have graduate degrees and successful careers. My two oldest kids have graduated from college, my third just finished his first year, and my youngest will begin in the fall.

I suspect that it’s rare for members of the IBEW and similar organizations to see the fruits of the seeds that they plant when it comes to sacrifices they make and the hard work that they do to improve life for their members. So the purpose of my note is to give you an example of the long-lasting benefits and positive outcomes that result from things you’re doing in the here and now.

My father died recently, and as I was driving home after cleaning out his apartment, I passed the IBEW facility on Route 4 in Barrington, N.H., and thought about the outsize impact the IBEW had on him and generations after him. I would like to sincerely and humbly thank the IBEW on behalf of my father and everyone else who has benefited from that night in the union hall many decades ago.

Michael Holmes
Hanover, N.H.