| OCR Text |
Show , , ! t if 1 . ' t v' I jl ( i .O J : A i N ' V It P N, 'rtfcf - , w ijJttm &' f t ? ruT f JJ v., afrts tM. J - -- MS- X f .WVsit ir. .', yr"T$ ;' xrx1 J ! feLtjf A- tpi t is -- ' . fj - & ,V T ;a v A ;r A A r r ,4 i .""T s ,Anc 3rX, 'fwL.ff-- o ?? xr 4-t-fl ' N VX.O .Vv j 4. 4 r ..1 iV: 'vpY' 4X X T K-- : I?1: & j r ZIX- Jtir ''C I & v V- fl XVxliP.l L ....... - f 5f5 tui h tx Sii;l gtlyirfiasisSi p,s c' t - ,' . - Mr j Itlft 4 --X?-rrPMm X- - .A - feife B fefj -- wT, viIa5i-iiw- frexv fVr' f r X iy5VX 1 v . .A v$.& 4 '&''&" N - sx ux. fJsX'f t ss :? K : , $k - u.'v f t t 'r Wf 'T? , r r aW. X -- 1 'S.n t " . j v'- X''' " V a v!pw : J ''Os' . .,u X2 ' :L ... .. vw t V - tw I Svf $ jr4f I IS irjll ' ' fcfJXXX 9 Iris Tolley, center, enjoys fun times with her daughters, Jina, left, Salena, Proo Shes never regretted her decision Two years later she graduated with a 3 86 grade point average Two years m a row she won gold medals in the Vocational and Industrial Clubs of merica, Intermountam Division, student automo live skdls competition Invited Back Last spring she was invited back b.v UTech Provo to teach an evening class in basic diesel mechanics It is a good feeling to be lecogmed by one's alma mater "I was asked because I was qualified,'' she said proudly School officials told her that, to their she was the only woman diesel knowledge, mechanics teacher m the United States After graduation m 1972, she was apprehensive about not being able to find a job in her field because of alleged bias about hiring a woman She joined the 113th Maintenance Company Heavy Equipment General Support Unit, Camp YVilliams "I figured I could probably always work for the " rni) In the unit she is a Spec 4, qualified to repair heavj efju,ptnnnt She is the only v. email m the unit For a weekend a month plus summer camp she dons the olive green fatigues Her fears were unwarranted She landed a job and an opportunity to apprentice at Cummins lntermoutam Diesel Sales Co Shes passed the half w a mark m the training to become a journeyman Becoming a journeyman is one of her goals ' Once the men I woi ked with found out I could do and did do my share of the work I was accepted Vc get along fine "Now and then they tease me about using a i heater bar (special wrench) or using an overhead pulley to lift parts But I don't mind Why not use labor saving devices9 I get the work done Thats what counts (Iris is 5 foot 2 and weighs 120 pounds ) Not Proving Anything 1 m not trying to prove anything m my vocation I m not carrying banners for woman power I don t make waves and I don t want trouble I like the company and the people I w oi k w ith Most of the men are married I dont date any of them I keep my priv ate life separate from my job "I ve always been one to think ahead she said She know s w hat she w ants, sets goals and is willing to work and sacrifice to reach them She looks at things realistically She can hold her own with men and when its necessary hints at toughness On the other side is a - A f U3,SV wjwsrjv in Nephi, where Iris has a home. Girls staj with grandparents, go to school. Fighting grimes in a days work By Hazel S Pr rkinson Tribune Lifestyle Writer NF PI II There s a good side and a bad side for a woman becoming a diesel mechanic First, the bad side It takes a lot of scrubbing to get the grease out of one's fingernails and hands Now the good news When you become a journey man the money is very good The prospect of earning a good hung for herself and two daughters w as a principal reason that Iris Phillips Tolley decided foui years ago to enroll in the diesel mechanics course at Utah Technical College in AS- W, cf- A f - Xl'-1.- . xXr'H, Xt, Kt " II , 4 ' ? '" v .w I fsO. T a, V m- - . . r4$e A? r rx rs 4 V X k- - if - f 7, 0..d- Wa if w 16, f Xtt f) ,V4X V!' Vt4 A sxir j s ,4ssv r . fh W1 9r t4S iA.a, "A xVI r ; jk' -- A x fA-4- i r. 5f EX ? , k As- i1 .'A .. X l-- S ' Shv v vr v , S'XiTt J di'sr ', V '..'V ? f , w i t; V veSx,. .. a fv A X s t , ,-- 4 V,,A i ;a X, ju ,fe , Hi.-- A-- m Iris paused to reflect upon today's work, future at her chosen trade. In repairs & 4 A: A t A (i fjt - Y- A, spring, she taught basic diesel class at Utah Technical College j 4- rft. " lT 2 lif C , s i Sy r. t 1. A X- , j. -- x'v s e - J , 9) i K Tribune Staff Photos by Tim Kelly sXi v sf 4 Iris likes the challenges and rewards of teartogether a diesel ing down and putting , t. - k, . . ; ' '"i a 9 jT irr , 1 S'! w 1 gjr ' it V' - f.. WirL i X r-- X V XX V w Vy a member of Utah National Guard maintenance unit Iris works on trucks, howitzers Grease covered hands go along with the diesel mechanics trade. Iris just spends extra time with soap, water, brush to get hands, nails clean. She takes kidding in r 'Jii i v A Mans Field Pay s Better mans field pays better money than the Triple Checked Everything I learned long ago to check and double check everything I do On this job, we both read and d the instruction manual And I triple checked ev cry thing It was a challenge I enjoyed A mistake in diesel repair can be very costly An engine is worth $10,000 or more Its a mighty good feeling when the engine one has been woiking on passes the testing apparatus and runs okay "I nev er w ant to get that smug attitude of 'I m too smart. 1 know it all I always want to realize 1 can learn something new X U vV'Vl, 4 IxrXr lender, loving warm woman and mother who can be happy m a cottage, rearing her daughters, teaching others or nursing a sick animal back to health During her growing up days as a student at Juab High School, her thoughts and plans were on getting married and rearing a family She was engaged during her junior year, and with the traditional stars in her eyes, she became a bride, a week after graduation But rosy dreams of living happily every after sometimes have a way of changing Eleven years later the mai riage was dissolved I tried to make a living, holding down two jobs as a hospital aide and a waitress I couldn t make it financially I knew' I had to change directions Although she was reared on a daily farm, drove a tractor, milked cow s etc , the closest shed come to mechanics was watching her father change spark plugs on a cai A fi lend owned a diesel and frequently moaned at the cost of repaii s to keep the rig operating The seed w as planted and nurtured I wanted to learn a trade with which I coidd make a decent liv ing for my family traditional women s jobs secretarial or practical nursing Why not take a diesel mechanics course I asked myself9 I owe mv parents (Mr and Mrs. James A Phillips) a great deal I couldn't have done it without them Id do anything for those two wonderful people During the week, Ins lives m an apartment in Salt Lake City Weekends shes with her daughters, Jina, 15, and Salena, 11, who stay with her parents m Nephi She feels the girls are better off with grandparents than m a Salt Lake Citv apartment when she has to work all day. She likes life m a small community, and feels belter about having her girls there Iris also owns a home and land m Nephi and a hoi se. a poodle and a bobcat The poodle has raised three litters of cats including one of bobcats All thiee litters weie abandoned by their mothers The poodle still rules the roost with the one remaining bobcat, w hich nev er goes out of the house, she noted At work. Ins said she and a colleague recently finished rebuilding one of the newest Cummins tractor engines The tractor was involved in an accident and the engine bloc k w as cracked It was the first time that model engine had been in the shop for - St rv i "PXtc , at being only woman mechanic at work and in her National Guard Unit stride Vi |
