Re: TNET: Where Clemson ranks among college football's most valuable programs

ClemsonTiger1988®

Ultimate Clemson Legend [101469]

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I know God's hand was upon me when I ended up in Pickens County.

Jan 22, 2025, 5:33 PM

Clemson is priceless to me so I didn't read the article.

I had the dream job, Combustion Engineering. I worked at the Chatt, TN plant with people who drove 70+ miles to and fro daily. Yes, other than the railroad or perhaps Dupont it was the best job TN offered for unskilled labor. I was promoted to helper on machines which manufactured and produced nuclear reactors.

One of the shops melted and mixed metals to produce high tech state of the art steel and alloys and just about every department, other than design, in the production of vessels which are still in service today.

I started $7.31/hr(1971) with my insurance, life and health, cost to me of $3.31/mo and they had to lay off 500 workers by seniority to get rid of me.I was at CE for 5 years and making over $13/hr in 1975. I loved every new assignment so they moved me often which gave me opportunity to train on every boilermaker skill there except welding. I was learning to weld from the welders in the shops I worked in.

The EPA got roided up and shut down almost all nuclear production. Two complete vessels sat on train cars out back when Exxon and Arkansas Power canceled the orders.

CE kept just enough to build replacement parts for products they sold previously and consolidated all the work in other locations. They laid off 500 employees the first week and I got sent to the unemployment line on the next layoff list.

Chattanooga and the surrounding area had so many job seekers it was almost impossible to find a job. I had worked in construction and back to construction I ran. Unfortunately, when Jimma empowered the EPA it resulted in interest rates climbing as high as 22% and the construction when almost to zero.

I moved to G'vegas looking for work and found it much better than most of the rest of America. I was simply trying to survive and feed my family when God reminded me I hadn't finished my education. By the time He convinced me to get a degree I lived less than 10 miles from Clemson.

Had It been UGA, Bama, USCe or TN I wouldn't shame God by telling this story.

Message was edited by: ClemsonTiger1988®

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TNET: Where Clemson ranks among college football's most valuable programs