No image so faithfully captures telephone employees' devotion to duty as does "The Spirit of Service." The man who posed for the sketch was Angus Macdonald, who himself epitomized the commitment to the telephone company and its customers so common in the early days of telephony.

In March 1888, a severe snowstorm threatened the newly installed long distance line between Boston and New York City. Macdonald's crew in West Boylston, Massachusetts and other crews along the line began patrolling on snowshoes, repairing any downed and broken lines they came across, and maintaining service throughout the blizzard. At one point, Macdonald and his crew came upon a train that had been stalled for two days. They were able to reach town on their snowshoes and return with food and drink for the passengers.

The Bell System used this image on numerous items, including belt buckles. They were given to employees as a recognition of many years of service. These appear on eBay occasionally, and make a great go-with.

For the painting, see [id=238075309].