Telecom Heroes
Angus Macdonald
No image so faithfully captures telephone employees’ devotion to duty as does “The Spirit of Service.” The man who posed for the sketch was Angus Macdonald, who himself epitomized the commitment to the telephone company and its customers so common in the early days of telephony.
In March 1888, a severe snowstorm threatened the newly installed long distance line between Boston and New York City. Macdonald’s crew in West Boylston, Massachusetts, and other crews along the line began patrolling on snowshoes, repairing any downed and broken lines they came across and maintaining service throughout the blizzard. At one point, Macdonald and his crew came upon a train that had been stalled for two days. They were able to reach town on their snowshoes and return with food and drink for the passengers.
The Bell Company recognized an opportunity when it saw one and commissioned an artist to commemorate the occurrence with a drawing of a lineman patrolling the lines. Angus was chosen to be the model. An advertising campaign featuring “The Spirit of Service” stressed the dependability and importance of maintaining service. This demonstration of the stability of Bell lines and service resulted in a great number of new orders. In future years, the drawing (and a later painting based on it) became an inspiration to generations of Bell System employees.
He married Catharine Boland in August 1901, and they had six children—Ronald, George, Eleanor, Frances, Mary, and Marion. Both Angus and Catharine were musicians, so the family reveled in regular musical evenings. According to his daughter Eleanor, religion, education, and a love of nature were all important features of their family life.*
Along with Alexander Graham Bell, Angus became one of the first Telephone Pioneers
Definition
Telephone Pioneers
According to their mission statement, "The Telecom Pioneers is a network of current and former telecom industry employees and their families who volunteer to address community needs. We represent our companies’ and the industry’s commitment to responsible corporate citizenship."
In 1910, Henry Pope sat at his desk at AT&T and reflected on how the telephone industry had grown since the invention of the telephone 34 years earlier. He thought about the men and women who had contributed to its success, and he wondered where they were and what had happened to them over the years. Then he began to write down their names.
One year later, with the help of an associate, Charles Truex, and retired inventor Thomas Doolittle, he presented a list to AT&T President Theodore N. Vail. Pope proposed that a society be formed of telephone people with 21 years or more of service —the "pioneers" who had built an invention into an industry.
On November 2, 1911, 244 people (of the original 439 to join the society) attended the first meeting of the Telephone Pioneers of America at the Hotel Somerset in Boston. The signature of Alexander Graham Bell appeared as Pioneer No. 1 on the hotel's register.
At that first meeting, two goals were established: to perpetuate the ideals and traditions of the business; and to promote fellowship. During World War II, a third goal came to the forefront: social service.
Today, the renamed TelecomPioneers association is the world's largest industry-specific volunteer organization dedicated to community service. More information about the Pioneers can be viewed on their website: pioneersvolunteer.org.
* In the forward to The Spirit of Service, Macdonald, Angus. 1988. Eleanor J. Macdonald, Houston, Texas.
Additional Resources:
Telecom Heroes
Angus Macdonald
Angus Macdonald posing for the Spirit of Service sketch (from Spirit of Service)
No image so faithfully captures telephone employees’ devotion to duty as does “The Spirit of Service.” The man who posed for the sketch was Angus Macdonald, who himself epitomized the commitment to the telephone company and its customers so common in the early days of telephony.
In March 1888, a severe snowstorm threatened the newly installed long distance line between Boston and New York City. Macdonald’s crew in West Boylston, Massachusetts, and other crews along the line began patrolling on snowshoes, repairing any downed and broken lines they came across and maintaining service throughout the blizzard. At one point, Macdonald and his crew came upon a train that had been stalled for two days. They were able to reach town on their snowshoes and return with food and drink for the passengers.
The Bell Company recognized an opportunity when it saw one and commissioned an artist to commemorate the occurrence with a drawing of a lineman patrolling the lines. Angus was chosen to be the model. An advertising campaign featuring “The Spirit of Service” stressed the dependability and importance of maintaining service. This demonstration of the stability of Bell lines and service resulted in a great number of new orders. In future years, the drawing (and a later painting based on it) became an inspiration to generations of Bell System employees.
The sketch itself (from Spirit of Service)
Angus Macdonald was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, on December 13, 1864. At age 20, he moved to Boston, where he found work at the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company. He was to stay with the Bell Telephone System for the next fifty years.
He married Catharine Boland in August 1901, and they had six children—Ronald, George, Eleanor, Frances, Mary, and Marion. Both Angus and Catharine were musicians, so the family reveled in regular musical evenings. According to his daughter Eleanor, religion, education, and a love of nature were all important features of their family life.*
Along with Alexander Graham Bell, Angus became one of the first Telephone Pioneers
Definition
Telephone Pioneers
According to their mission statement, "The Telecom Pioneers is a network of current and former telecom industry employees and their families who volunteer to address community needs. We represent our companies’ and the industry’s commitment to responsible corporate citizenship."
In 1910, Henry Pope sat at his desk at AT&T and reflected on how the telephone industry had grown since the invention of the telephone 34 years earlier. He thought about the men and women who had contributed to its success, and he wondered where they were and what had happened to them over the years. Then he began to write down their names.
One year later, with the help of an associate, Charles Truex, and retired inventor Thomas Doolittle, he presented a list to AT&T President Theodore N. Vail. Pope proposed that a society be formed of telephone people with 21 years or more of service —the "pioneers" who had built an invention into an industry.
On November 2, 1911, 244 people (of the original 439 to join the society) attended the first meeting of the Telephone Pioneers of America at the Hotel Somerset in Boston. The signature of Alexander Graham Bell appeared as Pioneer No. 1 on the hotel's register.
At that first meeting, two goals were established: to perpetuate the ideals and traditions of the business; and to promote fellowship. During World War II, a third goal came to the forefront: social service.
Today, the renamed TelecomPioneers association is the world's largest industry-specific volunteer organization dedicated to community service. More information about the Pioneers can be viewed on their website: pioneersvolunteer.org.
* In the forward to The Spirit of Service, Macdonald, Angus. 1988. Eleanor J. Macdonald, Houston, Texas.
Additional Resources:
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