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Pioneer
Mission, Vision and Value Statements |
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Built
upon the values of loyalty, fellowship and service, the Telephone
Pioneers of
America is the world’s largest industry-related volunteer
organization. Founded in
1911, the Pioneer organization is comprised of dozens of chapters
operating in the
United States and Canada. The nearly 620,000 members of the Pioneers are
current
employees and retirees of telecommunications companies.
The Verizon Corporation, through a
grant from the Verizon Foundation, sponsors
more than 130,000 of these members, who are organized into 17 Chapters
across
the United States. Their primary service focus is education. During the
past 12
months, they have volunteered more than two million hours in their
communities.
The Telephone Pioneers of America had
its beginnings as a list of names scribbled
on a pad of yellow paper. In 1910, the telephone was 34 years old -- old
enough to
have one generation of pioneers who had grown up with the telephone as
the
telephone had grown up with them. |
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Henry W. Pope, special agent of the American Telephone and Telegraph
Company, started to wonder about these early telephone people. How many
were there?
Where were they now? In a moment, perhaps sentimental, he suggested to
Charles
R. Truex, his office associate at 15 Dey Street, New York City, that
they jot down
the names of all they remembered. Interest quickened with each name
added.They enlisted the aid of the famous inventor, Thomas B. Doolittle,
who was then retired.
Soon the reservoir of personal memory
was not enough. So the list was mailed, in
the form of a round robin, to other long-service people who signed it
and passed it
along. Having secured a number of names in this way, Messrs. Pope and
Truex
presented the list to Theodore N. Vail, president of AT&T. He was
impressed and
pleased. He suggested that perhaps a gathering of old timers might be
mutually
enjoyable and instructive. President Vail’s support gave the
originators the needed
encouragement and direction. And, in his travels around the country, Mr.
Pope had
definitely found a desire for some type of society for veteran telephone
people. |
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Taking their cue from Mr.Vail, Pope, Truex and Doolittle went on with
an organization plan. They drafted a formal membership paper, which was
taken personally to all the early telephone people they could reach. Two
lists were circulated and signed by 159 people. A letter was also sent
to telephone people at distant locations.
By this time, the idea of who
qualified as a pioneer in telephony was becoming crystallized. The
tentative requirement of 25 years service was not indicated on the round
robin letter and several people with only 21 years of service signed up.
Since
25 was admittedly tentative, the requirement was reduced rather than
lose the
valuable contribution of these people to the Pioneer organization. |
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The idea of 21
years also had the benefit of Western tradition – the concept of
reaching the estate of manhood. With 21 years experience, a telephone
man had
served his apprenticeship. Having proven his capability and loyalty, he
secured the
mantle of maturity around his shoulders. So strong was the sentiment
attached to
this concept that it remained unchanged until 1975 when the requirement
was
dropped and reduced over the years until now there is no service
requirement.
It was the unqualified intention that
all telephone people with the required number of
years be admitted, regardless of specific company affiliation. And so it
was, and still
is, that employees from the many independent telephone companies of the
United
States and government telephone companies of Canada are welcomed to the
membership along with Bell System employees. By October 1911, there were
439 members.
The first meeting of the Telephone Pioneers was held on November 2 - 3,
1911,
in Boston, with 244 members attending – more than half of the total
membership.
During this assembly, the keystones of fellowship, loyalty and service
were set
down and the constitution adopted.
The first president elected to head the new organization was Theodore N.
Vail, who
was re-elected every year until his death in 1920. A notable speaker at
the first
meeting was Alexander Graham Bell, who was issued Pioneer membership
card Number 1. |
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Since that first meeting, Telephone Pioneers have come together from all
over
Canada and the United States for a yearly conclave, that is, except the
years during
World War I and World War II.
The Telephone Pioneer Association is
currently headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Building on the keystones
of fellowship, loyalty and service, the Pioneers have
reached beyond their own membership and into their communities to carry
on
thousands of environmental and community service programs. Today,
Pioneer's
greatest emphasis is on education.
Each year, on November 2, the
Telephone Pioneers of America celebrate their
birthday. On that day, or during the week of November 2, Pioneers all
over the
United States and Canada celebrate Pioneer Day and Pioneer Week. |
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