Pacific Telephone & Telegraph operators

August 15, 2008 – 5:19 pm

Here is all the information I have at this point.
Pacific TelLibrary13 Jan

The images came from a box filled with negatives from 1964 -1966.
I searched the microfilm for a clipping in January 1964 and 1965 but this story is proving elusive.
One story has pictures from the old library on Morro Street, now the home to the San Luis Obispo Little Theater. Next door to the old library is the former home of the operators for Pacific Telephone.
It used to be that a local operator answered when you dialed for information. You could talk to a live human who could help you remember the name of the mechanic on Monterey Street, because they lived in the area.

Today we wonder when we dial the phone if the person on the other end of the line is even in the same state, same time zone, or same hemisphere.
Now a mechanical voice gives us a number we after a stopwatch driven consultation with someone who sounds like they have 57 other phone calls to answer.
Today it is a good thing to have a blue tooth.
Lily Tomlin had a great comedy routine that often included the line, “One ringy dingy…”

Does anyone have a story to share with the readers about working for Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co., or Pacific Bell, Pacific Telesis, SBC, or AT&T?

UPDATE - Thought you might enjoy seeing an ad from this era.
This is from the Oct. 4, 1966 paper suggesting that phone booths were like a second home when the rains came.
Back in the 1960’s it rained.
Back before cell phones they had booths where you could make a local call for a dime.

4 Responses to “Pacific Telephone & Telegraph operators”
I spent a number of years at these boards, working my way through college. PT&T offered women college students seasonal work as telephone operators, and I was thrilled to get the job, as the money was really great for an 18-year old freshman in Spring 1966. We worked summers, spring and winter breaks, and probably some weekends. We learned a skill called “overlapping,” in which we learned to plug and unplug cords, pull cards that timed the calls, and various other tasks all at once (today it is called “multi-tasking”). It was a really nice group of women of all ages. One day a few of us wondered if the customers even heard us as we answered “Operator,” so we began to answer with “Alligator.” Not one person questioned us. But most of the time, it was work, as the boards in front of those women in the photo were lit up with lights, indicating a customer waiting. When I graduated from Cal Poly, I continued to work there because over time, you continued to get raises, and it was hard to walk away from that. It was fun to work downtown, where (usually just on payday) you could run out for lunch if you had a long enough break. Coming back into that windowless building, you had to call at the door and give your name and number before you were “buzzed in.” I remember when PT&T no longer hired jobs by gender, and we heard that a man was being hired as an operator. A number of operators were uneasy and a few felt they could no longer work there. To everyone’s delight, the young man was quite good looking, and fun to talk to. He fit right in. There were some wonderful supervisors, such as Pearl Turner and others whose names I have forgotten. Eventually, I tired of it and moved on, but I have fond memories of that big monolith of a building.

By Hazel Culbertson Daniels on Aug 16, 2008
Thanks for the great entry Hazel. I loved the Alligator story.
The Vault welcomes reader comments, readers often know more than I can find in my research.
I’m still having trouble finding the clipping, if anyone knows the date or folks in the photo it may help turn it up.

By David Middlecamp on Aug 18, 2008
Good Morning David
In reading your artical in Sundays paper about the Telephone office On Monterey Street.
I worked there in the late 1940’s.
and remember some of the people who worked there. The Chief Operater was Mrs Edna Leland, and the night Chief Operater was Mrs Amelia Garner.(My Aunt) Supervisors Mrs Pennell, Mrs Leitner,and Mrs Donati. The information clerk was Mrs Mabel Anderson.
At that time you had your choice , you could work on the long distance or,(local board). It depended on seniority and what was the better hours.
I was still in high school, so choose the hours 5pm to 11pm, went to school and still got paid for 8 hours.
The two men who worked in the back on the telephone lines were Al Cannon and Carl Lownes.
Thanks for letting me add my comment
Lucile (Serpa ) Ferraro

By Lucille (Serpa) Ferraro on Aug 26, 2008
David,
My mom was Chief Operator in Atascadero at the time we went dial here. She started in the late ’40s early ’50s.
She has her original headset and B & W photos of the last day of pullin’ plugs when we went dial.
My mom is now 89, I’d love to have a local paper do a story on her and the telephone office in Atascadero.

Rick.

By Rick Evans on Nov 3, 2008