The last serval weeks have filled my time with meetings concerning the cross‐connection control industry. The first week of April had me in Mokena, Illinois for the ASSE‐International Mid‐Year Meeting. As a long‐standing member and former chairman of the ASSE Cross‐Connection Control Technical Committee, I was in my element, holding court with a number of individuals I have worked with for many years, along with a few new faces. There were people in the room that I have both strong agreements with and others with whom I at times passionately disagree. Everyone comes to these meeting with their own agendas and opinions. The goal at the end of the day is to do what’s best for the industry and leave the room with a mutual respect for everyone and for their opinion. Human nature being what it is makes this difficult at times, but it is still the right way to go and the right thing to do. I would like to say I have always followed this golden rule, but I know at times I have let my personal feelings and my pride get in the way. As I grow older, it is easier to recognize these failings and work to have a more open and accepting attitude.

Discussions at the ASSE‐International Mid‐Year Meeting

At times you wish you could turn back the clock and do things a little differently. I grew up butting heads with my father and can remember a time when we did not speak for almost a year. I knew him as a stubborn, hard headed, opinionated know-it-all who never listened to anything I had to say. He was from a different generation that truly experienced hardship, from the Great Depression to the second world war my father lived through things I have never experienced and came through it all in one piece. He lived through the worst economic times the nation had ever seen. He was on the beach in Normandy and saw the death camps in Europe. He truly was a member of the greatest generation. But I was young, and to be honest, stupid. I could not see things through his eyes or appreciate his experiences and his wisdom. I felt I knew everything and that if he would just listen to me he could learn from me what the truth was. My pig‐headed attitude with my father is something that I will always regret. Because of it I missed out on sharing and learning from some of the wisdom and experiences he gathered over the seventy‐eight years of his life. As I grew older I started to recognize the error of my ways. I have worked to establish more open relationships with people both on a personnel and professional level. This has allowed me to become a better husband, father, and simply a better and more productive person.

Over the years I have been privileged to work with many individuals in the cross‐connection industry. Some are no longer with us, but have left a deep imprint on our industry and on me as an individual. People like Rand Ackroyd, who was the most knowledgeable person in the cross‐connection control industry I have every had the honor of working with. Rand always had a smile on his face and when participating in a committee meeting or code hearing, could always maintain his demeanor and bring consensus out of almost any situation no matter what the topic was. When things got too heated, his common voice and the bag of M&M’s he brought to every meeting would bring the conversation back to where it belonged. Paul (Bear) Bladdick was another individual who I learned much from. Paul and I disagreed about almost everything, but his counsel and perseverance on issues he truly believed in made a lasting impression on me. We could argue about regulations and policies to the point where others in the room were afraid we might never speak again, and after the meeting head out for dinner and put it all behind us. If I needed an honest opinion on something I could always reach out to Paul. He would not tell me what I wanted to hear in many situations, but he would tell me his thoughts even if they were not what I wanted or needed to hear. I truly miss speaking with Paul and Rand, but I learned so much from them that they still have an influence on my work within our industry.

Last week I was in Salt Lake City for the American Backflow Prevention Association Conference. Utah was the last state I had left to visit in the United States. I can now check that box on my bucket list. I have worked or visited all fifty states. I am a lucky man, I have a great family and I love the work I do. The company I work for is a great employer allowing me the opportunity to meet and work with so many people who are dedicated to making sure we have clean safe drinking water available to every citizen. Last week in Utah, almost two hundred fifty individuals from all over the United States and several from outside the county got together to share ideas, discuss problems that exist within our water systems and brainstorm solutions for these problems. It is always a pleasure to spend time with individuals who share interests in the cross‐connection control industry.

The Dalia Lama once said “Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.”

Ron Lord from the Dispensing Equipment Alliance and I gave a presentation on chemical dispensers and the proper installation of this equipment. As you can imagine there were many people in the room with very different ideas and opinions on this topic. It was a great seminar and participation and questions from the attendees hopefully got people thinking about the issues that exist with this equipment. I know that during the seminar I learned several things I was unaware of and in discussions with individuals directly after the seminar and in subsequent discussions I learned several things related to these installations and how they are being installed in areas around the country. We can’t come into these meetings with closed minds and with predetermined opinions. As I grow older I am perhaps, becoming wiser. I truly hope I have learned from my earlier youthful mistakes. Let’s all commit to taking a fresh look at things and let’s begin learning from others who are also committed to sharing their knowledge within our industry, most importantly with the younger people who are just becoming involved. The Dalia Lama once said “Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality”. I think he was right. Share your knowledge and your ideas, listen to others and encourage them to become involved. The world will be a better place.

About the Author

Sean is a 40 year member of the United Association Local 524 Scranton Pa. He has worked in all phases of the plumbing and mechanical industry and is a licensed master plumber. Sean is a Past President of the American Society of Sanitary Engineering. Sean is also the member of the ASSE Cross-Connection Control, Technical Committee. Sean is employed by IAPMO as the Vice President of Operations for the IAPMO Backflow Prevention Institute.