This article appeared in the November 14, 1966 issue of Electrical World Magazine. The entire story has been retyped and formated. You can read that at http://www.insulators.info/articles/maurath.htm

As many of you know I have been an insulator collector and enthusiast ever since the mid 1950s, when I was just a few years old. My interest for these glassy and porcelain things perched upon the utility poles (as well as enclosed porcelain cutouts and street lights of the time) were certainly my advocation that never let loose for one second ever since then. Collections of these things started in the early 1960s and affliction for them never ceased....to this day.

I grew up in Brockton, MA and by 1962 I had "limited" off-hours access to the Brockton Edison Company dumpster facilities across town. Plus, I made lotsa friends with the line crew gangs. My interest in insulators and their go-with's flourished. Desiring to learn LOTS more I wrote to the insulator and streetlight manufacturing companies who had their locales on the boxes I was familiar with seeing while "being-on" the crews (who were very receptive to my collecting and electric-utility interests/pursuits when it came to collecting info and "stuff" to bring home). And from discarded magazines and boxes I also gathered more clues from my semi-permitted dumpster diving during the 1962-1966 era at the Brockton Edison Company yard.

The Ohio Brass Company was one company (as well as General Electric and Lapp) whom I wrote to. I had a personal tour of their insulator plants during 1965-1967. Integrated with family trips, my family went along with such diverted but pre-planned plans!

The Ohio Brass Company was exceptionally impressed with my interest with insulators and my plan to become an important person someday within the electric utility industry. That proved to fruition. I graduated college in 1974 and finally started working for a municipal utility nearby here (Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant) several years later.

Accompanying this note is a photo of the first (I think) insulator collector article written. It was published by the Ohio Brass Company in Electrical World on page 150 of their November 14, 1966 issue.

This ad copy was missing from my files literally for the past 30 years. Finally, thanks to an eBay seller, I was able to obtain a copy very recently ;-)

During our many family moves from 1967-78 a lot of my stuff got lost or tossed out. The original was lost until now and I'm sharing the copy with you.

Best Collecting Wishes,

Joe Maurath, Jr.