We’d love to know what you can share about the people and places included in this week’s Retro. If you recognize anything or anyone, please email illumination@duke-energy.com, and attach the picture or include the photo number.
As always, we’ll continue to share as many responses as possible. Keep scrolling to find out what we learned since last time!
Photo 867: Any guesses as to when – or where – this Carolina Power & Light (CP&L) photo was taken? The vehicle and attire may hold a clue.
Photo 828: These CP&L employees may have worked in the Call Center. Can you confirm or deny? Bonus points if you know who they are or when they worked at CP&L.
Photo 835: This Duke Power photo was taken on Aug. 15, 1991. It looks like the gentleman on the right is Mike Sellers, but we can’t read the other two hard hats. What can you share about who they are or where they worked?
With your help, we learned more about these previously shared photos:
Photo 839: Ken Collins, Wayne Pearson and Tom Tate agreed that this Public Service Indiana work vehicle is a 1935-36 International Harvester, model C35. “Love those old vehicle photos! Thanks for sharing,” Tate said.
Thanks also to Rick Simmons, who got a bit more specific: “The truck in the photo 839 is an International Harvester Model C heavy truck. This model was only made from 1934 through 1936. The photo, however, would have been made in 1939 or later based on the “Less Taxes, More Jobs” billboard in the background. These were placed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce beginning in 1939. There were about 25,000 of these billboards placed around the nation.”
Photo 853: Thanks to Jeff Cage and Marilyn Byrd for helping us ID Jeff Benson, a chemistry technician at McGuire Nuclear Station. Cage thinks the photo was taken in the Secondary Chemistry lab, probably in the early to mid-1980s.
Photo 852: Sherry Reid said, “I think this is a very young Frank Abernathy. He worked as a scientist in what is now the Central Lab (or Analytical Lab). He left Duke Energy many years ago and I don’t know anything about where he is now.”
Zach Hall added: “The Central Lab rolls up through my org, Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS). They run samples on multiple media from across the enterprise.”
Photo 854: “I can’t ID the men,” Barbara Bell said, “but on a tour of McGuire Nuclear’s Environmental Labs about 5 years ago, I remember a room dedicated to hundreds of mounted bug specimens. Great photo!”
Based on the thick mustache and deep-set eyes, Reid thinks the man on the right is “a very young Arnie Gnilka, Ph.D., who passed in 2018. He was the supervisor of Aquatic Ecology when he retired. I think he started in Design Engineering back in the day.”
“The Aquatic Ecology group is now part of the Water Resources organization, which also rolls up through EHS,” Hall added. “Hope that helps!”
Photo 770: We appreciate Cameron Allen for helping us identify this Duke Power employee. Allen said, “The man in the white and blue shirt standing in front of the printer is Dean Woods. He was the meter supervisor in Hickory, N.C. He is now 93 years old and still alive. He went to church with my grandparents and is a good friend of my grandfather.”
Photo 772: Allen also recognized the individual in this photo. He said, “The man with the long hair and beard standing in front of the meters is Bill Smith. He was a meter reader back then and later got into marketing. He retired a few years ago. Bill was a good friend to my dad when he started in Hickory as a meter reader.”
