Name: Harvey Roepke, retiree
Title: Electrician
Location: Granite Falls, Minnesota
Region: Upper Great Plains
When did you start working with WAPA?
I started working at WAPA on December 8, 1985.
What is the most interesting thing you have worked on at WAPA? One of the interesting things I worked on was servicing the valves that converted AC to DC [Alternating Current to Direct Current] at the Miles City Converter Station. It used fiber optics for control, which was totally new to me. I believe it was new technology at the time.
What do you wish people understood about the work you did? I have worked in both electrical and mechanical areas within WAPA.
Tell us something about yourself we wouldn’t find on your resume. I went on several short-term mission trips, which mainly involved building and electrical work. The trips were to Africa, Indonesia, Chile, Mexico, and areas requiring hurricane relief here in U.S. I also play golf, which I'm not that good at.
How is what you do tied to WAPA’s mission? WAPA supplies electricity to many utilities and as the demand has increased over the years, so has the capacity and reliability of the equipment. I worked with crews on upgrades and replacement, and I performed switching for utilities when they needed to work on their power lines. I appreciate the opportunity WAPA has given me and the people I have worked with.
