We mourn the passing of Brother Blinkhorn, who passed on March 12th. He was 87 years old, and had been a Local 569 member for over 58 years.
Brother “Ernie” was born in London . . . Ontario, Canada. Even as a teenager, Ernie cultivated his interest in the electrical field. Throughout his high school years, he attended a technical school in London . . . Ontario. It took him another 10 years to realize that San Diego was the place to be. Ernie arrived at Local 569 in mid-1958, and with his background and experience, he secured a position with California Electric Works as an Industrial Electrician. He continued working in the Industrial sector until late 1965, when he had the opportunity to “cross over” to the construction side, with his dispatch to Foshay Electric. As a Wireman PE, he secured experience at Service Electric, CALEWO, Smith, S & M, Associated, Service, Morrow-Meadows, and Hamilton Electric. During his time at Hamilton, he took and passed his JW Exam. Ernie went on to share his experience with Stringer Electric, and (then Union) Bergelectric (2 dispatches). In mid-1975, however, the Pacific Northwest “called his name”, and he followed that calling to Boise, Idaho, where he worked for 3 years, including a year on the Brownlee Dam. He then worked in Portland, Oregon, back to the Brownlee Dam again, and finally, in 1980, came back to San Diego, and landed at S.D.G. & E. Bechtel dispatches then became plentiful again (3 dispatches), followed by Baker, Metro, Blevins, and few others. Ernie’s last contractor was Douglass Electric, before he retired in 1992. Ernie was truly a kind and gentle soul, and he will be missed. He was living in Idaho, at the time of his death.
