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Some plumbing Heating History

Stet
Stet Member Posts: 37





On this day in Arlington history, January 4, 1930: Lillian Baumbach is born. Raised in Arlington, she will become the first woman master plumber in the US. Lillian graduated from Washington-Lee High School in 1947. She learned details of the trade working summers in her father's Arlington plumbing business started in 1928 and tagging along on service calls. She made well-known her father’s family plumbing business Baumbach Plumbers of Arlington.

The idea of a diminutive figure wielding a large, cast-iron pipe wrench in the labor-intensive world of plumbing was treated as a novelty. Women plumbers were so unusual at the time that the Washington Evening Star dubbed her ``the pretty plumber." The Arlington native attracted national attention that led to newspaper (including this cartoon from the Boston Herald) and magazine articles and radio and television appearances including “What’s My Line.” She was said to have “scorned dolls for monkey wrenches when she was six years old and by the time she was 12 she was a regular plumber’s helper on jobs with her dad.” Her story and picture were carried by wire services, and soon, she received hundreds of letters from around the world. The correspondences, some simply addressed "Pretty Plumber," contained marriage proposals and queries on technical plumbing problems. A U.S. Army infantry company stationed in Korea during the Korean War elected her as its pinup girl. She sent them the photo (above) of herself holding a wrench over her shoulder)

She married George W. “Bill” Jacobs and lived with him and their two daughters for 26 years. She became President of her father’s plumbing business until her retirement in 1989 when she moved to North Carolina. She died in 2000.

Lillian Baumbach Jacobs, an Arlingtonian, broke new ground for women by opening up a traditional man’s field. Her story was used for years by the industry to recruit new plumbers.

STEVEusaPAErin Holohan HaskellCTOilHeatSuperTechVoyagerkcoppAlan (California Radiant) ForbesEdTheHeaterMan

Comments

  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 1,882
    A great story.
    With the lack of help disappearing from our ranks and little to no new help committing to our craft in this day in age. I cant help but to think that this business we are in can be such a great opportunity for women. Maybe more so now than ever.
    delta T
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,452
    Really great story!
  • Erin Holohan Haskell
    Erin Holohan Haskell Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 2,276
    Way to go, Lillian! Thanks for sharing, @Stet.
    President
    HeatingHelp.com
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,452
    @ironman
    so you were originally a New Englander? So you came up to do that "volunteer work party" to see if anything had changed?

    Well it has not MA still sucks. LOL Glad you got out.
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,452
    @Ironman
    Your radiator story remind me of taking out and old Arco boiler in the "rich" town Longmeadow, MA about 40 years ago. Me and two others we were all dumb in our 20s.

    So we get this thing apart and we wanted to carry the sections up the stairs straight flight a little steep right out into the back yard. Sections were heavy but we didn't want to break them up.

    No hand cart we just lugged them. So we heaved and struggled and with every section we would try something new too see if we could make it easier. One guy on top, two on the bottom ...two on top 1 on the bottom etc etc Of course the front and back were murder.

    After one difficult trial up the stairs I was about all done, huffing and puffin when one of the guys said "that way was pretty good I didn't have nothin"

    We all just burst out laughing
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,367
    Ed, we all had strong backs and weak minds back then.
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • Solid_Fuel_Man
    Solid_Fuel_Man Member Posts: 2,646
    Now its weak backs and weak minds I'm afraid.
    Serving Northern Maine HVAC & Controls. I burn wood, it smells good!
  • ratio
    ratio Member Posts: 3,615
    @Erin Holohan Haskell, maybe brand-new members could be restricted to posting follow-ups to threads no more than say 6 months old? I can't help but think there's nothing good coming from LoperVil.
    Solid_Fuel_Man
  • Solid_Fuel_Man
    Solid_Fuel_Man Member Posts: 2,646
    @ratio beat me to it!
    Serving Northern Maine HVAC & Controls. I burn wood, it smells good!
  • Somehow, Lillian's wrist doesn't jibe with the 48" wrench on her shoulder, but far be it from me to doubt her amazing story. Thanks @Stet !

    You would think there would be a lot of female plumbers in the Bay Area. There were two or three that I knew of 10 years ago, but they're all gone. Don't know a one now.
    8.33 lbs./gal. x 60 min./hr. x 20°ΔT = 10,000 BTU's/hour

    Two btu per sq ft for degree difference for a slab
  • Erin Holohan Haskell
    Erin Holohan Haskell Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 2,276
    ratio said:

    @Erin Holohan Haskell, maybe brand-new members could be restricted to posting follow-ups to threads no more than say 6 months old? I can't help but think there's nothing good coming from LoperVil.

    Thanks, @ratio. I've removed the spam post. We'll investigate our options. I appreciate your feedback.
    President
    HeatingHelp.com