Create your free account now! Sign up
Gary Vest
1/20/2001
I have changed my cell # to336-###-####, to those who need it. Doug, of course that is a totally different scene than what I was told, regarding Paige & Billy, but what would one expect after all that, huh? Anyway, getting ready to head out to play billygoat for a couple more weeks. Been awhile since I've been in mountain running and suddenly I have found myself on back to back projects, in two different states that are mountainous as mountainous gets. Got to love it!!!
SplicerLife4me
1/20/2001
and you can keep it...lol
SplicerLife4me
1/20/2001
onecableman, don't be a moron. of course at&t cut their rates...they just lost about 100 BILLION dollars!!! at&t paid crap to begin with. now that at&t can't afford to pay as well as the other mso's, the other mso's won't lower their prices or shut down.now they have a chance to kick at&t's ass and their going to do it. with all their money problems, at&t won't be able to keep production up, forcing more losses, resultig of sale to a REAL cable company that knows how to be a cable operator.
Doug
1/20/2001
I heard that,,, shit Gary going up over a mountain right now would kill me, been doing too much ride out lately, have to jump in a truck and go splice some trunk or something, I worked over in Whithwille, ( excuse the spelling ) back in 84, I'd load everything up into feed bags and head out, no maps, design as I went, splice hot and tweek, tried that shit now I'd be bear bait!
Gerald Whitfield
1/20/2001
Good Day to all.Doug it sure seems strange,to hear ,you mention RICKY SPICKETT,Yesterday I went by to visit his grave.He was a friend of mine,He was born ,March 9th,1958,he died Feb.3rd,1984,He was a true cable dog ,We grew up in Morehead City ,North Carolina,I knew him ever since the first grade,his older brother Mike and I were in school,together.Ricky started cable shortly after I did.I haven't known very many people that were a faster splicer than I am,Ricky was one of them,I can still picture us in Ohio,we'd build the next days equipment at night,and fly it the next day,it was a dual cube system,with fused disk,you talk something easy to kink,any way, four of us worked out of one van,we would ride down the street dropping the equipment at the base of the pole and then we would park the van at one end an we splice our way back to it.We were all young cable dogs,we would race up and down the poles, trying to beat the other guy ,back to the van .I was fast but Ricky was faster,about every 4th stick he was one ahead of me.We worked together until Spliceco pulled out of Ohio,and went to Texas,I stayed in Ohio and went to Jackson Comm..The next time I was to see him was years later when he lay in the casket,at his funeral,I can still remember him laying there,it's like a photograph in my mind recorded forever.I still remember how arrogant his older brother Mike acted at the funeral as if,having to go to his brothers funeral was an inconvenience of his time,I've disliked him ever since that day and he used to be one of my best friends.That was a long time ago now.I also remember,many of the names you mentioned,Doug,I was the person that started Chris Dearden splicing.I ,was one of the Co's first four employees for Spliceco ,I drove one of the first three bucket trucks from Ashville N.C.to Ohio.Mike Brakefield talked me into leaving my blazer at home,and riding with Wayne Blanchard to get his trucks to Ohio,I made the deal with Brakefield that if I left my truck,at home I could use the Co.van to go to the Gym to work out,this was to become my first conflict in cable,WE (Wayne and I) left Morehead ,we stopped in Kinston,to wait on another splicer,going with us.I can still remember sitting in that Hardees waiting.I can still hear the deep seated sound of the straight pipes on Chit Chats (Edward Cachet's) Harley,as he approached.He ended up being the man that taught me to cut trunk.We later ended up roomates in Atlanta,that was the last place I ever saw him,some 20 years ago.Does anybody know where he is? Getting back to my story,Wayne,Chat and myself went to the Dick Weeks yard in Ashville.I got stuck with driving the oldest truck a 1957 ford f 600 with a Baker 45,it had a bad exhaust leak, that nearly killed me. We stopped several times as the exhaust kept making me so dizzy,I can still remember going through the mountains that night ,the front end my truck was worn out it was a job to keep her in my lane,tractor trailers kept whizzing by,I got to admit its one of my most unpleasant memories.We finally made it to Ohio.It was there I ran into my first confontation with a supervisor.At this time in my life, my physical condition,was everything to me I ran 6 miles a day,did a thousand sit ups and lifted alot of steel.The last job I held before I started cable was a professional bouncer in Ft.Lauderale Florida.Before I left Morehead ,I made the deal with Brakefield for the use of the van.In Ohio Wayne was the Project manager and I bet he is still an ASSHOLE SOB to this day,any way he told me he didn't give a damn what what Mike said, he ran the show there,I couldn't use the van.I don't to this day know why they didn't fire me .I was going to go to Waynes ass,someone picked up the phone and called Brakefield and Mike settled that one ,I got to use the van.At 22 years of age I thought I knew everything,couldn't any body tell me anything,I knew it all.Thank God I've lived long enough to realize how stupid and immature I once was. The older I get the more I realize,how little I really do know.With age and living with the school of hard Knocks,comes wisdom.I have waited alot of years to start the Co .that is now in progess.I am astounded at all of the e-mail I have recieved from people around the world,We all know its time for change,Its time for the little man to make the money he rightfully deserves.I apologize for not answering each e-mail,but this old man is not a typist,I hunt and peck.I will be back on here tomorrow and post my plan of action,of how I intend to run this new Co. .I would like to thank everyone who is behind me,for reading what I write and beliving in a better tommorrow.I will be honest,I have now got hundreds of e-mails but I need thousands.Why? Because to even approach the man I seek as a backer,I must have the power of the people behind me.The man I am going to approach, currently, to my knowledge has nothing to do with cable,he just has more money than (hypathetically)God!!He is the man that loans banks money,He could buy and sell the mother co.'s.Question?Why would he help me?Lets just say he owes me his life,because if not for me he would be dead.At the time I saved his life he wanted to repay me for what I had done,I was21years old and thought I would be retired by the time I was 25,so I took nothing.(HOW stupid I was when I was Young).I have not spoken to him since that time,but I know he is still alive because I see him in the news from time to time.I ask all the dogs that believe in me to tell everbody you know in cable,to somehow to get into my e-mail list.I won't contact your present employer.I don't care what you did when you worked for someone else.You can start here with a clean slate. The old dogs that run this co.will make sure you know what you are doing,before you are turned loose to work.I am going to close for now.I would like to leave you with one thought for the day,don't think of me on this day,lets start a memorial day for all those who have died before us.If not for those that have gone on, there would be no systems for us to work in.Here's lookin at you all!!To the ones I've known,Ricky Spickett,Alan Mercer,Brian Daily,and my greatest inspiration Uncle Jim.May your souls rise and set with the sun ,may you rest eternally in our thoughts,God's Speed be with you. See Ya "WHITFIELD"
Gerald Whitfield
1/20/2001
Big Mouth, has to speak again.Gary tell the wife spring time is coming,the fish will soon start running here,I personally am looking forward to this fishing trip.Anybody else that might like to go e-mail mail me at BigDuck69@*****.com .I just simply need to know how many boats to Charter.I grew up with most of the captains,around hear.You can count in catching fish and a good time.Thanks,"WHITFIELD"
Gerald Whitfield
1/20/2001
One more thing,Doug,Paige was Ricky's woman before,her and Billy hooked up.
See Ya "WHITFIELD"
onecableman
1/20/2001
SplicerLife4me “moron” !!! I’m not out to put anyone one down. Name-calling has never gotten me anywhere. I have an opinion. Like I also said. I don’t have the answer, and several heads are better than one. Thank you for you input. To give credit where credit is due. I hope your right SplicerLife4me. While we are waiting on the arrogant AT&T executives to say “We made a mistake, let’s sell out” small CATV Contractor Companies, Sub-Contractors are folding daily. SplicerLife4me I hope you have a good contract and I hope it don’t go sour for you like mine did for me, it’s no fun…. Bitter yell, months ago. Now just hoping my new contract don’t get a cut come resigning time, & that I still have something to leave to my son.
Like I also said. I hope everyone else can take the blinders off for a few minutes. The NUMBER ONE thing that MSO’s look at are numbers, the bottom line. Everyone thought years & years ago when the telephone industry was d-regulated that would be the end of AT&T. Now there are around 7,500 long distance companies, & AT&T is still one of the largest if not still the largest. They are making up that $100B as we speak. (Check out T – on the NYSE from the end of Dec to today. It’s coming up, quickly) Raising subscriber rates by 8-15%, cutting contractor pay by 40%, letting go 1/6 of some off the “dead weight” work force, cutting senior citizens discounts, etc. What’s your choice go with another cable company (only if your in an overbuild area), satellite, or rabbit ears?
All it would take is for some young eager wanting to make a name for himself executive to suggest to his GM, CFO, or Board. AT&T saved $100-200M last week, quarter, year by cutting their contractor rates and got the same job done. Next week he’s the VP of Marketing Research for Broadband Contractor Contracts for the Telecommunication Division. And you have to resign your contact with him…..
Doug
1/20/2001
No shit, I used to party with Ricky and Paige way before Billy came a long,
TERRY CLARK
1/20/2001
Hey Whitfield, I'm not really sure if it is true ,but someone told me that Wayne Blanchard had died (hope it is not true). Last time I saw Wayne he was in poor health,and could not get around very well.he stopped by my office about a year and a half ago. His older brother Lee still lives in Pine Knoll Shores,NC. Lee worked as a supervisor for ASI also.He is a damn good guy. you know they say this is a small world,well check this out. Lee Blanchard was a helo pilot in vietnam in the mid 60's, also in his co. (in nam) was a young grunt named Vince Catino.After thier stint in the military Vince went home to J-ville,NC and eventually made millions in the catv industry.Lee went home to Morehead City,NC and worked in catv also. I worked with Vince on many,many projects starting in 1979 and lived across the street from Lee for 2 years in 85 and 86.Vince died of cancer in 95.I did not know they knew each other untill Lee saw me splicing on the side of a road and stopped to ask me if the obituary he had read in the local paper was the same he knew in vietnam.after we exchanged some info about Vince there was no doubt about it.Lee said Vince was a fearless soldier, as they had had very close enemy contact on several occations. I owe a lot to Vince Catino he was great man and taught me alot about the catv buisness and people...rest in peace...Vince Catino
