We mourn the passing of retired IBEW 569 Brother Lawrence S. Dukes on July 4th. He was 99 years old and was a Local 569 member for 76 years.
Brother Dukes was already a WWII veteran, when he was indentured as a 1st step Apprentice Wireman, on January 8, 1946. He took his first dispatch at Zwiener Electric just three weeks prior. The 1st step apprentice wireman hourly wage was 70 cents/hr. He graduated as a Journeyman Inside Wireman on Feb. 1, 1950, with an hourly wage of $2.50. Lawrence worked for many years at Zwiener. Then in 1967, he was dispatched to Foshay Electric, where he would stay for several years. In 1973, he accepted the opportunity to work for Econ Electric, which was run by Elwin (Ed) Condreay. Brother Dukes retired in 1985.
To his surprise, last year, his family arranged to have Union officials and former co-workers appear at a casual gathering to honor him with his 75-year Service Pin.
A funeral mass will be held for Brother Dukes at 10:00am, on Friday, August 26th, at St. Agnes Catholic Church, located at 1140 Evergreen St., San Diego, 92106 (Pt. Loma). Internment will occur the same day, at 2:30 pm, at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, 1700 Cabrillo Memorial Way, San Diego, 92106.
