Broadcast Writer

NATE: The Tower Times
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By Vicki W. Kipp
September 1, 2002

There are few occupations that are more traditionally male-dominated than that of the tower technician. Chances are that you will not personally encounter more than one or two female tower technicians in your career.

But a few women– sometimes nicknamed “steeple Janes”– are in on the work. The “steeple Jane” designation is the female version of the expression “steeple Jack.” A “steeple Jack” is a person who works on a variety of high structures using tools of the trade.

There may be fewer than twenty female tower technicians working in the United States. Jean Muehlfelt, a member of this rare group, shared a glimpse of her experiences as a tower technician.

Jean’s Story

For Wisconsin native Jean Muehlfelt, it was only natural that she would follow her father and brothers into the family tower business, Broadcast Communications Systems. Jean’s father, Jim Crooks, started the company in 1956.

Growing up with three brothers in a very close-knit and devout family, Jean was always incorporated into her brothers’ activities.

When the boys became tower technicians, they took Jean along on the job. The brothers were willing to bring Jean along on tower jobs despite her strength limitations because of the close camaraderie the four children had shared.

After serving in the Army as a specialist in photography and single sideband radio, Jean joined the tower profession.

Aunts and uncles responded, “Oh, no, you’re as crazy as the rest of your family!” but they understood her choice. Jean’s mother worried for her safety, but she also worried about the safety of her husband and sons when they were on a tower.

Jean grew into a knowledgeable, respected tower technician by pulling her own weight on a tower crew, attending manufacturer schools, and always asking questions. After working all day, Jean often spent the night reading about tower technology. “That’s the way to get ahead, whether you’re male or female,” she advises.

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage that female tower technicians have to deal with is having less skeletal strength than males. The more weight Jean carried up the tower in tools and hardware, the less work she would be able to do.

Rather than expending too much energy climbing while loaded up, Jean carried as little weight as possible, and rigged the tower with rope so she could life supplies up in buckets.

Recognizing that she didn’t have as much brute strength as the male technicians, she learned to use leverage to her advantage. Jean says, “It comes much easier if you work with the structure rather than trying to overcome it.”

She knew her limits, and avoided starting a physical task that she may not have been able to finish. Jean didn’t want to drag another tower technician into a job that she wasn’t strong enough to complete because the other technician may already be overloaded with what they were working on. She felt it would be unfair to them.

Although harassment might be an issue for some female tower technicians, Jean managed to avoid it. The fact that Jean’s family owned the company she worked for may have discouraged the workers from ridiculing her. However, Jean worked hard to earn the respect of her coworkers. Jean explains, “I tried to stay ahead in knowledge. I studied very hard.”

Jean learned leadership in the Army, and applied that skill to leading male tower technicians, some of whom were young and overconfident. She opposes what she calls ‘respect by title’.

She says, “It’s just too dangerous out there to command something when you don’t know what you’re talking about. You could end up losing lives.” Jean emphasizes, “If you don’t do your job properly, you could possibly kill someone else. You’re not only responsible for your own life, but you’re also responsible for other people’s lives.”

When asked if she would encourage a close female relative to become a tower technician, Jean responded candidly, “For the amount of money you make, the work is really more than you want to do. I think that a woman can make a lot more money using her mind than using her muscle.”

“Living out of a suitcase is tough on family life,” says Jean, who feels that it would be very difficult to be both a mother and a tower technician. Jean and her husband Ed do not have children.

Jean gained notoriety in the tower industry by writing a telecommunications industry newsletter and representing her family’s company at trade show booths. Oten a show attendee would approach the booth but wait to be addressed by one of the male employees rather than being helped by her.

When a complicated question arose, Jean’s male colleagues would defer to her for help. She would end up advising the same show attendee who had just avoided her because of her gender. She quickly won over the attendee when her expertise became apparent.

She chuckled a bit when these situations occurred. Jean thought it was fun to expand people’s expectations of who could be a tower technician. “I didn’t try to prove anything. I did it quietly, and the respect came quietly. I did not demand any respect. But I think that it comes with experience. People watch you and they know whether or not you can do a job.”

Although female technicians face extra challenges, they may enjoy a few advantages. Jean felt that her respectful communication style gave her an advantage.

In particular, Jean believed that she treated the ground crew more respectfully than some of her male counterparts did. The ground crew, which follows the tower crew, is not respected as much as they should be in Jean’s opinion. Jean recognized that nothing gets done on a tower without help from the ground crew.

While men may tend to yell at each other and bark orders, Jean would approach another technician politely, saying, “Will you please help me?” Technicians responded well to her approach. Having an abundance of patience has also been a helpful advantage for Jean.

Jean met her husband Ed on the job. Always one who enjoyed living on the edge, Ed became a tower technician for Broadcast Communications Systems after working as a police officer and a racecar driver. Jean says, “I’ve always loved working with him! Ed and I love to travel, we love adventure.”

Jean and Ed Muehlfelt have retired from the tower industry but are not done climbing towers. They recently sold their home and all of their possessions before departing for long-term international travel. Serving as missionaries for an organization called HCJB World Radio, Jean and Ed are in Saipan teaching nationals how to install and maintain radio transmitters, towers, and antennas for Christan radio stations.

Jean and Ed enjoy teaching their trade to others. They realize that they can’t meet the physical demands of tower work forever. At this point in their lives, they are committed to “training the next generation so that they can carry on after us.” They plan to do missionary work for the rest of their lives.

Jean recalls memories of “the tower life.” She has warm recollections of crews Socializing at a restaurant while they had breakfast before a job or dinner together after a day on a tower. She remembers living out of a suitcase for weeks at a time.

She spoke of the pride she and her crew experienced as they walked away from a job completed: “Pride in a job well done is the greatest reward in tower work.