Summer 2004

Oscar Roland

“He had a way of making you laugh at yourself,” Jim Smith, machinist, says of Oscar Roland. “He was always good for a laugh.”

Linda Turner, inspector, remembers that “he was happy all the time. He would tease you and you could tease him.”

Don Helsel, director of manufacturing, agrees. “He was able to say things about situations that would really make everyone laugh and feel positive about the situation. His demeanor was always very personable and friendly. You could look at him and see that he had a really good attitude about life.”

Oscar, who passed away this past February, is remembered for his warmth and empathy as much as his wit. “He was a person who was always willing to help another person,” recalls Kevin Gormley, machine shop assembly lead.

“He had a heart of gold,” says Jim. “He would help me when I was struggling. In his own soft, big-hearted way he would tell me that wasn’t the way and give me another idea. He was very empathetic, a very patient man.”

In the thirty years he worked here, Oscar distinguished himself by his skill and consistency on the job as a lead in the machine shop, producing parts for Boeing airplanes. “He was an expert in bending metal,” Don states. “He was an expert craftsman at getting complex parts to fit together.”

Oscar was famous throughout the Lighthouse for the many years he organized the Seattle Lighthouse annual holiday dinner. “I think the biggest thing he’ll be remembered for is his Christmas dinners,” Kevin states. For years, Oscar would cook turkey dinners for the employees each holiday season. “He would always bring the people together and get it out on time,” reminisces Jim. “He loved to see people eat and have a good time.”

“He always strived to help the blind and Deaf-Blind workers here to achieve. For their successes,” Kevin says. “He was the first person to win the President’s Award. I think that was a landslide write-in vote. He didn’t just come to work. He really went beyond his duty and didn’t ask anything in return.”

Jim recollects that the Seattle Lighthouse employees found an especially appropriate way to send Oscar off into retirement. “The last year he was here, we gave him a plaque and in one corner there was a picture of Santa Claus. That was Oscar. People thought of him like that.”

Previous Page | Horizons Main Page | Home