The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners celebrates membership milestones with pins commemorating members’ time and service to our unions. An 80-year pin is an incredibly rare occurrence, denoting that a member has been a consistent member in good standing in our union for almost a century. Considering this is longer than the average lifespan of an American male, this is truly a monumental award.
The Southern Regional Council of Carpenters is proud to have been able to deliver this honor to one of our own, Charley Rummel, of Local 216 in Little Rock, Arkansas in July.
At 102, Rummel has spent the vast majority of his life as a member of our union.
“I have been around for a while,” said Charley.
Rummel’s story does not start or end with him. His family is as relevant to his success as he is.
His daughter Jeannette Dreher and son-in-law Gary Dreher have taken care of Charley in his advanced age, and understand just how important membership in the UBC is. Gary is a current member of Local 216 with almost 50 years of membership himself.
Rummel was a shoe-in for the union. He had experience as a carpenter doing trim work and had already had family in the union. When the opportunity finally presented itself, it was an easy decision.
“Dad had been out of service for 6 months. One of his brothers was already in the union and talked him into trying it,” said Jeanette. “That is when he joined and went into the apprenticeship.”
Rummel excelled at his craft.
“He skipped part of it. They put him on up higher than just first year,” said Jeanette.
Gary had worked with Rummel for decades on several different projects as a fellow member of Local 943 (formerly 690). If anyone could speak about his work ethic firsthand, it would be him.
“He was a good carpenter, he watched his work, and stayed busy all the time. [Charley] could really do some good trim work and he managed to usually be one of the last ones laid off when the jobs ended,” said Gary.
Rummel cemented himself as a reliable carpenter in the industry, working tirelessly on job sites and even during the weekends. That experience made him a leader on the jobsite, even with employers.
“A lot of times the bosses would leave him in charge, and they would go home early for the weekend,” said Jeanette.
The union has been an integral part of the family’s relationship with each other. Rummel found the perfect son-in-law in Gary, and they did what carpenter families do best: build together.
“We built 3 houses together,” said Gary. “We built the house we are living in now, a house that [Jeanette’s] grandparents moved down here to, and we helped build a house together for our son that lives behind us.”
Despite his age, Rummel still kept going strong, continuing to build for his family and with Gary. He had a passion for building that spanned both his professional and personal life.
“He was about 83 years old then,” Jeanette added. “When he built his house, he would come home from work and then work on the house for several hours till dark, then get up and do it all over again.”
“We rode together every morning and every evening,” said Gary.
This family of carpenters remains close-knit, and the union has allowed Rummel and the Drehers to flourish
“I have made a good living through the union,” said Gary. “I have always felt supported, and we are drawing a good retirement now that we are retired.”
The awarding of 40 and 50 year pins are rare but not unheard of, but an 80 year is extremely unique, to the point that many members did not know that existed.
“I think it is a good thing because how many people do we have that have been in [the union] 80 years?” said Gary. “That is a long time to be in there and a lot of guys do not make it.”
Southern Regional Council of Carpenters Chief Officer of Operations Jeremy Hughes and Business Representative Doug Wilkinson were incredibly excited to personally deliver the pin the Rummel.
Apart from the long commute, visiting Rummel involved having to be sensitive to his age and the illness that affects his memory and everyday life. It took dedication with multiple tries and extra care, but their last visit in July was successful, and they proudly presented Charley with this monumental award.
For a carpenter that loved to chop wood even while on the cusp of turning 100, receiving a visit and symbol of recognition and dedication to his craft meant the world to him.
“He really enjoyed it,” said Jeanette. “He was proud of it and was glad to have them come and give it to him.”
“He was looking at it again this morning!” Gary added.
Rummel has been of the most dedicated and hardworking carpenters that the union has had the pleasure of serving. Our Regional Council wishes him nothing but good health and peace for the rest of his retirement and are proud to still count this extraordinary carpenter in our ranks.