Apprentice Instructor to the “Stars”

Local 1 MI retiree Bob Suess, right, with fellow Local 1 member and IU Executive Vice President Gerald O’Malley, outside Suess’ home in Leisure World, Laguna Woods, CA.

Still in good health with a sharp mind and keen wit, retired 74-year BAC member and Apprentice Coordinator Bob Suess of former Local 2 Michigan, now Local 1, has a lot of stories to share about his experiences over the past 99 years. So many, in fact, that he’s written and published an autobiography titled The Journey of My Life.

Suess emigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1923 at the age of 17 to join relatives in Detroit. In 1927, eager to learn a trade, he began his bricklaying apprenticeship, as a member of Local 2. Suess was thrilled, since, “At the time, bricklayers were the highest paid tradesmen. I started at 27H cents per hour, increasing to 40 cents.”

He became a journeyman in 1931, just when “the Great Depression started to set in. It got to the point where I couldn’t buy anything…
I was out of work for one and one-half years after I graduated,” he said. Once he even had to accept room and board instead of wages, but he persevered until work opportunities improved.

Suess was also intent on pursuing his education, which he did by attending night school and taking correspondence courses. In the early 1930s, he received a personal letter from the principal of the Chicago Technical High School, who acknowledged his work and told him: “Always be ready when the opportunity presents itself.” This became Suess’ motto throughout his life.

In 1947, Suess was hired as Local 2’s Apprentice Instructor, a position he took to from the beginning. He was employed by the Detroit school system, which in turn was reimbursed for the apprentice training by the federal government. He didn’t always agree with the training curriculum, and tried whenever possible to make his own imprint on the course material.

Suess is proud that many of Local 2’s leading officials, some who later became IU officials, came through his apprenticeship classes in their early years in the trade. Among his trainees were IU Executive Vice Presidents Lou Weir and Frank Stupar, and IU Representative George Spencer. One of his former pupils, current IU Executive Vice President Gerald O’Malley, says of Suess, “He was an outstanding instructor – knowledgeable, patient, and fair. Everyone liked and respected him.”

Brother Suess retired in 1972, and relocated to Laguna Woods, California, close to his daughter’s home. He is an active hobbyist who, in addition to his writing, enjoys gardening and painting, and continues to stay on top of current affairs.