The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-14
Blind Erie Switchboard
Operator Completes 20
Years Service at Post
BY O. ID. KENDALL.
Especial to The Argus. }

| Erie, ILL.,, Sept 1.-THE usher
| will kindly show the members OF
the so-called fair sex in general,
and hello" girls in particular, to
seats in the rear.
In other words they must go way
back and sit down.
This once, mere man takes the
spotlight, so it's DINNERS for the
| female contingent.
Let the curtain rise on Kirk
Thompson, manager and veteran
operator of the Crescent telephone
exchange at Erie, Ill.
Yet for 20 years he has operated
the switchboard, a greater part CT
the time single handed, working
three eight hour shifts day.
How does he do it? Let Mr..
Thompson tell you:
There's nothing supernatural
about it. l simply know the
switchboard as a stenographer
knows the keys of her typewriter
or pianist knows the keys of the
piano. In addition to that, l have
had the figures on the drops where
the calls come in on the board,
stereotyped in the Braille system,
which enables me to read" the
number with my fingers. Once 1
have got their number there is
nothing to putting up the connec-
ton"
Starting out as a phone operator
20 years ago when the farmers of
the community organized the COM
pany, Mr.. Thompson had aboIt
? ri fol
care of, which were operated
through the exchange in the dining
room of his parents home.
Handles eco Phones.
"In those days." remarked Mr.
Thompson, Il often waited anxious
ly for the next call. 1 didn't have
enough to keep me busy. Today,
as you see. we have a two position
switchboard, with nearly six hun
dred subscribers who are handled
over $50 different lines, including
two to Hillsdale, two to Prophets
town, two to Albany, one to Gen
eseo and one to Morrison. We also
have toll line to Rock Island,
through which exchange all of our
long distance calls are handled Be-
sides myself, l now employ four
girl operators. So you see / have
grown up with the business, which
has naturally made it much easier
for me-
Thus, Mr.. Thompson, under a
handicap which few men are able
to overcome. underestimate his
own ingenuity and remarkable
ability.
Speaking Of his life since he lost
his sight at the age of II, Mr.
Thompson says:
81 was determined, of course, to
make my own way regardless of my
handicap. With this idea in mind
l went to the state school at Jack
sonville, Ill. There I learned the
language of the blind-the Braille
system also piano tuning and
organ repairing. l followed this |
work along with making hammocks !
and the many other odd things |
blind folk do, for some time. but it |
did not suit me. 1t was always nee |
essary for my wife or somebody TO |
take me to my work, which was |
frequently miles out in the country. !
1t was then the idea of operating
a switchboard occurred to me and |
l went to the manager of the tele-
phone company then operating
here, but since gone out of exist
ence. l asked him for the job. In
stead of giving me the job or a
chance at it he gave me sympathy. !
for which you probably cart
blame him. He couldn't conceive
of blind man operating a switch
board, that's all The result was I
didn't get the job Consequently.
when the word spread that another
phone company was being organ
lied, l approached those in charge
of the proposition and repeated NV
request for the hello girls lob
Well they had some doubts about
It, but they gave the matter con-
sideration. By this time, I'll ad-
nit, began to have some doubts
about myself, so to bolster I'D nv
argument l told them to give me
the job and that if l couldn't get
away with it my wife would heln
ne out-in short, that between us.
We could guarantee them service
Well this put it over and l landed
he job. Suffice it to say, that