Honor Rolls

Spring 2001
Volume 108 - No. 1

Honor Rolls

Jessee enjoys healthy retirement

According to BLE Division 448 (Bluefield, W.Va.) member Dorsie Clarence Jessee, he has spent his 20 years of retirement trying to stay healthy. But by all accounts, he has and is celebrating over 50 years as a member of the BLE.

Brother Jessee comes from a railroad family. His father and brothers all worked on the railroad. He began his railroad career as a laborer on the Norfolk and Western Railway Co. in 1938. He went firing on October 27, 1942 and was promoted to engineer on March 12, 1948. He joined BLE Division 448 in 1947. He served on the Safety Committee for his division for five years.

Jessee made his last run on June 4, 1980, and has received his BLE Honor Pin for his long service to the BLE.

In the year 2000, Brother Jessee and his wife, Geraldine, celebrated their 63rd year of marriage. The couple has five children, 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Jessee is a member of the First United Methodist Church and the retired railroad men.

The Jessees live at: 302 Grove Street, Richlands, Va. 24641-2914.

Caption: Brother Jessee


Like father, like son

Brother Jack Spangler of BLE Division 448 (Bluefield, WVa.) matched his father in years of service to the BLE when he celebrated 52 years of consecutive membership on October 1, 2000.

Spangler, 81, reports that he has many relatives in the BLE, but notes that his father G.D. Spangler was a BLE member for 52 years. He began his railroad career in 1939 as a pipefitter in Norfolk & Western's Bluefield shops. He went firing in December 1945 and was promoted to engineer in 1954. He joined the BLE in 1948.

Proud of his many years of membership, he said that all engineers should belong to the BLE. He retired due to disability in 1973.

Brother Spangler lives at: 6956 CR 665, Bushnell, FL 33513.

California's Simonson honored with 50-year membership pin

Former California State Legislative Board Secretary-Treasurer and BLE Division 283 (Oakland, Calif.) Local Chairman R.E. Simonson received his 50 year pin recently from BLE International Vice-President Dale McPherson.

Brother Simonson hired out on November 7, 1945 on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad. He was promoted to locomotive engineer on August 13, 1949 and joined the BLE in October 1950.

Simonson made his last run on October 31, 1985 as the number one engineer on the seniority list for the Northwestern Pacific. During his time as a member of the BLE, he had served as a local chairman, legislative representative, General Committee Secretary-Treasurer and State Legislative Board Secretary-Treasurer.

In October of 1950, Brother Simonson made two very important decisions in his life - he joined the BLE and married his wife. The couple has four children, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

During his free time, Simonson is an avid ham radio operator, a member of the Masonic Lodge Order of the Eastern Star and a member of the Senior Citizens Board of Directors of the North Coast Railroad Association Board of Directors.

In his capacity as a member of the aforementioned board, Simonson took an active role in preparing the North Coast Railroad Association for the resumption of operations in January. The railroad was acquired by the state of California because of its high maintenance requirements.

"I was appointed to the board a little over a year ago," said Simonson. "And, because of my experience, I anticipate helping in instructing engineers on the art of train handling on the mountain."

The Simonsons live at: P.O. Box 374, Willits, Calif. 95490.

Caption: Brother Simonson, right, accepts a 50-year BLE membership pin from Vice-President Dale McPherson.

Honor Roll poet


Brother Carl Niemi, a member of BLE Division 920 (Pontiac, Mich.), was awarded his 40-year BLE membership pin in 2000.

Niemi began his railroad career as a laborer for the Grand Trunk Western Railroad in 1937 and went firing in 1940. He briefly worked for the Santa Fe as a fireman before he was promoted to engineer by the Grand Trunk on April 6, 1950. He joined BLE Division 920 in 1956 and served as the secretary-treasurer of that division in the 1950s.

Niemi made his last run on December 31, 1986 as a yard engineer in the Pontiac, Mich., yards.

Niemi and his wife of 46 years, Gladys, have four sons and six grandchildren. One son was briefly a switchman for the Grand Trunk.

Below is a poem that Brother Niemi wrote about his years with the Grand Trunk Western.

The Niemis live at: 5864 Loch Leven, Waterford, MI 48327.

My Years with the Grand Trunk Western

It started back in '37,
I thought I'd stepped right into heaven.
The Grand Trunk offered me a job,
my hours would be from three to eleven.

Wipe down steamers, sweep the floors,
open and close the roundhouse doors.
Dump the ashpans, fill the tanks,
these and others were my chores.

And though I liked the sounds and smells,
I kept on getting longing spells
To sit up on the right-hand side
and operate those engine bells.

One night in '40 out of the blue,
the foreman said, "I've news for you."
I want to test you on the scoop,
and find out just what you can do.

So out I went at twelve midnight,
my entire system all up tight,
Would I make the grades, pass the test?
I guess I'd know by morning light.

They call my hogger "Wild Bill."
He made my night a tired thrill,
taking drags from yard to yard,
we didn't do much standing still.

When we turned in, I got the word,
I'd be put on the extra board.
Talk about walking on cloud nine,
I thought I'd just been made a lord!

I fired the "varnish" to old "Muskegon,"
and worked the pool west into Elsdon.
Bucked snowdrifts on the old "P.O."
Made many a turn to Washington.

There were railfan trips, a circus train,
the Art Train cars pulled in the rain,
a Presidential Special too,
Was proud to handle every train.

Commuter trains, a familiar sight,
ran on a schedule that was quite tight.
They're not forgotten; they were here so long,
to Detroit in the morning and back at night.

No longer does the steamer prevail
the clank of the rods; the whistle's long wail,
the coal docks are empty; the cinder pits gone,
rails have been torn up; it's like a sad song.

I cherish my memories of this, our fine line,
though it wasn't always roses and wine,
but all in all as I look back,
it really has been a mighty "Good Track."

- By Carl Niemi, BLE Division 920

Caption: Brother Niemi celebrated 44 consecutive years of BLE membership last year.

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