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This is the music I used for background for the video I did on my brother’s highway construction business
May 18, 2012
Chilocco alumni graduate, ‘58, Mike Jones owned a construction business with his brother, Alvin Jones circa 1986-2008
For my video the song was about my brother’s business. The heavy moving beat and the words, were indeed, telling of their life with highway construction work.
They moved in unison, pushing to meet deadlines, praying for good weather, no accidents, a crew they could trust to stay with them through the heavy work.
Sometimes hitches would come up with material, concrete for bridge building, supplies for guard rail, and even the trees they were planting,
10,000 on the Wichita, Kansas project. Sometimes they had three crews in three states. My other brother kept up with his crews with an airplane but
Alvin and Mike did all their communication with telephone and driving from job to job crews. One month one of their foremen had a 900.00 phone bill. That was before the low rates we can get now.
Their life was tied up with Motels and cafes for feeding the crews. Occasionally, when the job was lengthy they rented a large house where the men slept and cooked their meals together. This was cheaper than motels and usually some of their wives came along to do the cooking.
Weird things happened along the way, too. Both brothers related different events that caused their minds to not want to deal with the sometimes strange events. Mike saved newspaper clippings of bodies of people killed in and around their bridge building site. This greatly disturbed him.
Sometimes large heavy equipment was stolen, Once Alvin was trying to retrieve a shovel a worker had thrown out which was going to be covered with a dozier. He fell on the slope and broke his leg. They wanted to take him to a near by hospital but he wouldn’t let them and his foreman drove him many miles back to Stillwater. These are only a few incidents to happen.
Long hours on the road, along with heavy work and the constant deadline sometimes pulled at their sanity. Mike told me he saw a goose as it stood on the highway beside his mate that had been killed. Mike was so saddened he stopped his truck, walked out to where the dead goose was and moved it off the road all the while the mate followed him. Mike said he actually wiped tears from his eyes as he walked away.
I end the presentation on the video by saying, “And on this note, my friends,
enjoy your ride over smooth highways and bridges, they were bought with the blood, sweat and tears of my brothers.”
May 18, 2012
Chilocco alumni graduate, ‘58, Mike Jones owned a construction business with his brother, Alvin Jones circa 1986-2008
For my video the song was about my brother’s business. The heavy moving beat and the words, were indeed, telling of their life with highway construction work.
They moved in unison, pushing to meet deadlines, praying for good weather, no accidents, a crew they could trust to stay with them through the heavy work.
Sometimes hitches would come up with material, concrete for bridge building, supplies for guard rail, and even the trees they were planting,
10,000 on the Wichita, Kansas project. Sometimes they had three crews in three states. My other brother kept up with his crews with an airplane but
Alvin and Mike did all their communication with telephone and driving from job to job crews. One month one of their foremen had a 900.00 phone bill. That was before the low rates we can get now.
Their life was tied up with Motels and cafes for feeding the crews. Occasionally, when the job was lengthy they rented a large house where the men slept and cooked their meals together. This was cheaper than motels and usually some of their wives came along to do the cooking.
Weird things happened along the way, too. Both brothers related different events that caused their minds to not want to deal with the sometimes strange events. Mike saved newspaper clippings of bodies of people killed in and around their bridge building site. This greatly disturbed him.
Sometimes large heavy equipment was stolen, Once Alvin was trying to retrieve a shovel a worker had thrown out which was going to be covered with a dozier. He fell on the slope and broke his leg. They wanted to take him to a near by hospital but he wouldn’t let them and his foreman drove him many miles back to Stillwater. These are only a few incidents to happen.
Long hours on the road, along with heavy work and the constant deadline sometimes pulled at their sanity. Mike told me he saw a goose as it stood on the highway beside his mate that had been killed. Mike was so saddened he stopped his truck, walked out to where the dead goose was and moved it off the road all the while the mate followed him. Mike said he actually wiped tears from his eyes as he walked away.
I end the presentation on the video by saying, “And on this note, my friends,
enjoy your ride over smooth highways and bridges, they were bought with the blood, sweat and tears of my brothers.”