We mourn the passing of Brother Vandeman, who was 60 years old, and had been a Local 569 member for over 20 years.
Originally from Burlington, Iowa, James moved west (next door, to Nebraska) by the time he was 31, and was indentured into Local 22’s (Omaha) apprenticeship program. He, admittedly, did not complete the program, leaving after 2½ years, in 1991. By 1997, James moved further west, landing in San Diego county the end of November. Barely two weeks later, he arrived in our Hall (with sufficient proof of his journeyman level experience), and was dispatched to Amelco as a Wireman P.E. (pending [JW] exam). James would hone his craft at Amelco, Sachs, and Sunburst, before taking and passing his J.W. exam in January 1999.
During the next 14 years, he would be dispatched to Sunburst (3 times), to Bechtel (8 times), and then Stone & Webster (twice). Also included were Chula Vista (twice), and Baker Electric (twice – where he’d stay a year to 2 years each time). Within the past 5 years, James did what many members have done, to provide for their families. He worked in northern California for long stretches of time. James moved his family to Nevada two years ago, where he was living at the time of his passing.
Brother Vandeman will be remembered as a kind and well-mannered person, whenever he would either come into the Hall, or call on the phone. James will be missed by our community.
