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September 3, 2019 by tomdalzell

Holiday Field Trip – Bobo in San Juan Bautista

IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista

For our Labor Day notional Quirky Berkeley Holiday Field Trip we will motor down to San Juan Bautista to see the collection of equipment used by IBEW linemen as collected by Vicente A. “Bobo” Banuela Jr.

IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista

IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista

This post represents a rare three-way overlay of my life. It is based on a quirky collection by someone who lived in Berkeley for eight years and then has lived out his days in a farm worker town where I myself lived from 1976 until 1978.  The quirky collection is, as mentioned above, of equipment used by workers in the trade represented by the union for which I have worked since 1981.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

Bob, Ryan Skelton

I learned of Bobo’s collection from Ryan Skelton (yes, as a matter of fact, that Skelton). Ryan worked as an apprentice lineman near Bobo’s town and had become a friend and acolyte.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

(Bobo greets Sharon Neumann Solow and Kendra Keller.

We visited Bobo with two American Sign Language interpreters in tow. They were really something.  They got the quirky saint vibe of the scene and opened up the world for Bobo.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

Bobo is 71 years old and has been deaf his entire life.

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Photo courtesy Bobo

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Photo courtesy Bobo.

He attended the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley from 1959 until 1967.  There he learned the basics of pole climbing although his lack of hearing precluded a career in a profession for which he had a strong affinity.

When he was 22 years old he left the School for the Deaf and came home to work as an apprentice gardener with his father.  Working as a gardener, he saw a horseshoe pit made with utility poles.  He was thrilled.  He had known since he was a boy that the study and recording of electric line work was what he was meant to do with his life.

Bobo’s collection is part made, part collected.

Early in his life, he painstakingly made six wooden-model line trucks.

IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista

IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista

Sitting throughout the enormous table covered with insulators, model trains, and other line equipment are a number of detailed model line structures that Bobo made, some with moving parts.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

IBEW-Bobo in San Juan BaptistaLineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.IBEW-Bobo in San Juan BaptistaLineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.  Bakersfield

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

In a room filled with spectacular work, for me the substation above rocks the hardest.

IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista

IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.  SA Camp in Bakersfield.  Father went to work.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

The presence of the Pennsylvania Railroad warms my heart – the commuter railroad of my youth.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

Bobo makes parts as he builds.

IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

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IBEW-Bobo in San Juan BaptistaAs I mentioned above, the tables that fill the room are covered.  Well-covered.  As in a pretty simple diagnosis of horror vacui, fear of the empty.

IBEW-Bobo in San Juan BaptistaThe lower photo represents materials associated with the construction of PG&E’s Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Generating Station.

I am not sure whether there are more meters or insulators.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.  Hubbard brace.  Edison uses  signs porcelain.   Insulator very rare, found in Casgtroville

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019. very old 1899

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.  Pacific Electric   train

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.  1930 - bought at antique storer $3

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

Now THIS is what I’m talking’ about.  A tad quirky, a tad creepy.  Go Bobo!

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.

One of five slot machines in the House. KERCHING!

After we visited Bobo’s house we took him to an IBEW dinner in Monterey where we honored his lifetime of work with the material culture of linemen.

He is as filled with joy as anyone I have ever met.  His knowledge of line work and tools and equipment is encyclopedic.  He works hard on his collection, and the is deeply proud to be part of the IBEW, the fraternity of linemen.

IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista

Bob and Local 1245 Business Representative Ryan Skelton,, who is holding a 1923 meter reader book.

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Photo Tom Dalzell

Lineman memorabilia collector, Bobo, at his home in San Juan Baptista, Calif. on March 29th, 2019.  belt buckle sold to benefit lineman's wife

Bobo bought the belt buckle in solidarity with the family of in injured worker.

Our afternoon with Bobo and Ryan and Sharon and Kendra transcended even the best end of normal.  On all fronts we operated at a level that you just don’t get to very often.

IBEW-Bobo in San Juan Baptista

I showed the post to my friend.

“I remember San Juan.  I visited you in ’79 right when you were negotiating with the lettuce growers.  I remember you – you were alive.  You were young, in love, in full throttle passion for the UFW.  You had dreams.  San Juan was a magic little town and the magic was all around you.  Your mom came down to visit from Yuba City with the little black and white dog who I think was named Kippie.

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“We walked the mission at sundown.  We stood on the fault line and looked at the garlic fields.  lt was a good visit.”

I thanked him for that trip down memory lane.  What does he think of Bobo and his collection?

Quirky Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif., is seen on May 12th, 2016.

 

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3 Responses to Holiday Field Trip – Bobo in San Juan Bautista

  1. Grimm says:
    September 3, 2019 at 8:07 am

    Very nice, Tom, thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Mark Bulwinkle says:
    September 3, 2019 at 4:53 pm

    What a wonderful ceramic and glass collection. Amazing what we take for granted when assembled en mass has such another level of meaning. Thanks! M

    Reply
  3. Timothy Jon Volz says:
    September 4, 2019 at 6:28 am

    Great post! Bobo and his life project are a rare find. Thanks for the post. The close-up photo of Bobo surrounded by his stuff is tops. I have always collected the glass and ceramic insulators but his is over the moon

    Reply

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