Thomas Kubat is the President & Archivist for Pursue Posterity as well as the co-author of 2 books for Arcadia Publishing. In his spare time he is a novice ventriloquist.
In 2013, Pursue Posterity was provided with the opportunity to create an extensive inventory and physical exhibit of artifacts pertaining to the history of The Lincoln Electric Company. Lincoln Electric is a multi-billion dollar corporation located in Euclid, Ohio and the “global leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products robotic arc-welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment and has a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market” (http://www.lincolnelectric.com/Pages/lincoln-worldwide.aspx?locale=1033).
There are a plentitude of perks pertaining to my profession: preserving and promoting history, access to rare and valuable artifacts from the past and being afforded the opportunity to meet unique and extraordinary individuals. The Lincoln Electric project afforded me the chance to experience all of the aforementioned perks. My greatest pleasure however was derived from meeting a unique and extraordinary individual named William Isaac Miskoe. He was the longest tenured employee in the year history of The Lincoln Electric Company, having worked there in a variety of capacities in his 61 years of invaluable service to the company.
In 1933, he embarked on his illustrious career at Lincoln Electric, after many years of studying engineering at the University of Virginia and John Huntington Polytechnic Institute. He started his lengthy tenure as a Sales Engineer in Illinois and retired as the International Vice-President. As per the philosophy of the founders, John C. Lincoln and James F. Lincoln, salesmen at Lincoln Electric were expected to do more than simply schmooze a customer and close the deal. That was how William Miskoe was taught and that was how he conducted himself when on a sales call. “Now in welding,” he emphasized, “it’s always been said that it can’t be sold by talking. It’s sold by showing.” Every time he went on a sales call he would pack his gloves, welding helmet, and coveralls in his car so that he could showcase the superiority of Lincoln Electric arc welding products via a live demonstration. His exemplary work ethic and dedication helped advance his career and quickly lead to him securing a position as branch sales manager in Peoria, Illinois and soon thereafter a lucrative promotion overseas.
The Lincoln Electric Company had an extremely gradual shift from simply a domestic manufacturer to an international enterprise, spanning the globe. Founded in 1895, it wasn’t until 1938 that the company ventured outside of North America with construction of a plant in Australia. In 1940, Mr. Miskoe went to Australia to manage the plant, whereupon he introduced the concepts of piecemeal for production jobs and an annual bonus. When he first arrived in the land down under the total number of employees at the plant was a paltry fifteen, but due in large part to his diligence and determination it rose to one hundred and fifty. Despite Australia’s reputation as one of the most pro-union nations, Miskoe’s early implementation of the work incentive program proved extremely advantageous for the initial employees and their endorsement encouraged future hires to accept the program as well.
For 28 years, from 1940-1968, he was the face of the Australian subsidiary acting as chairman and managing director. Under his superlative supervision the Australian subsidiary competed with its’ American counterpart in sales to world markets. In the 1940s, Mr. Miskoe was responsible for starting their export operations. This was groundbreaking for Australian manufacturing as Mr. Miskoe observed in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald: “Lincoln Australia can claim to be one of the pioneers in the export of Australian manufactured products,” ( http://goo.gl/T8iyMD).
After 28 years in the Outback, Miskoe returned to the United States in 1968 as the newly crowned international vice-president. He spent his final twenty-six years of service with Lincoln Electric stationed in the U.S., but traveled much for work and pleasure. During his travels he helped broker a deal for the Australian subsidiary to be responsible for marketing Lincoln products to Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Mr. Miskoe led an incredible life peppered with a vast array of achievements, adventures, travels and travails. One such adventure occurred while journeying from Australia to the United States in 1943 on what should have been a relaxing cruise with his beloved soul mate and wife, Dorothy Lee, a fire ignited creating the necessity for ship to be evacuated. Always fast on his feet, Miskoe leapt from the fiery Swedish motor ship with the aid of rope into a nearby raft whereupon he briskly maneuvered it to the side of the ship. He then helped numerous injured passengers from the burning vessel into the safety of the raft. Luckily there were no casualties in the fire due to the quick and heroic responses of men and women such as Mr. Miskoe.
On March 2nd, 2014 William Isaac Miskoe relinquished his mortal coil after 101 years brimming with adventure, and equal doses of devotion to his family and career. A life he once declared during his later years was filled with nary a regret. My major regret in the context of completing our project with Lincoln Electric was missing out on the opportunity to conduct an oral history with Mr. Miskoe, for he passed away prior to the details being worked out. The legacy left behind by Mr. Miskoe is vast, and it is unlikely that The Lincoln Electric Company could have gained such a strong global presence without his ambition and tireless work ethic.
There are a plentitude of perks pertaining to my profession: preserving and promoting history, access to rare and valuable artifacts from the past and being afforded the opportunity to meet unique and extraordinary individuals. The Lincoln Electric project afforded me the chance to experience all of the aforementioned perks. My greatest pleasure however was derived from meeting a unique and extraordinary individual named William Isaac Miskoe. He was the longest tenured employee in the year history of The Lincoln Electric Company, having worked there in a variety of capacities in his 61 years of invaluable service to the company.
In 1933, he embarked on his illustrious career at Lincoln Electric, after many years of studying engineering at the University of Virginia and John Huntington Polytechnic Institute. He started his lengthy tenure as a Sales Engineer in Illinois and retired as the International Vice-President. As per the philosophy of the founders, John C. Lincoln and James F. Lincoln, salesmen at Lincoln Electric were expected to do more than simply schmooze a customer and close the deal. That was how William Miskoe was taught and that was how he conducted himself when on a sales call. “Now in welding,” he emphasized, “it’s always been said that it can’t be sold by talking. It’s sold by showing.” Every time he went on a sales call he would pack his gloves, welding helmet, and coveralls in his car so that he could showcase the superiority of Lincoln Electric arc welding products via a live demonstration. His exemplary work ethic and dedication helped advance his career and quickly lead to him securing a position as branch sales manager in Peoria, Illinois and soon thereafter a lucrative promotion overseas.
The Lincoln Electric Company had an extremely gradual shift from simply a domestic manufacturer to an international enterprise, spanning the globe. Founded in 1895, it wasn’t until 1938 that the company ventured outside of North America with construction of a plant in Australia. In 1940, Mr. Miskoe went to Australia to manage the plant, whereupon he introduced the concepts of piecemeal for production jobs and an annual bonus. When he first arrived in the land down under the total number of employees at the plant was a paltry fifteen, but due in large part to his diligence and determination it rose to one hundred and fifty. Despite Australia’s reputation as one of the most pro-union nations, Miskoe’s early implementation of the work incentive program proved extremely advantageous for the initial employees and their endorsement encouraged future hires to accept the program as well.
For 28 years, from 1940-1968, he was the face of the Australian subsidiary acting as chairman and managing director. Under his superlative supervision the Australian subsidiary competed with its’ American counterpart in sales to world markets. In the 1940s, Mr. Miskoe was responsible for starting their export operations. This was groundbreaking for Australian manufacturing as Mr. Miskoe observed in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald: “Lincoln Australia can claim to be one of the pioneers in the export of Australian manufactured products,” ( http://goo.gl/T8iyMD).
After 28 years in the Outback, Miskoe returned to the United States in 1968 as the newly crowned international vice-president. He spent his final twenty-six years of service with Lincoln Electric stationed in the U.S., but traveled much for work and pleasure. During his travels he helped broker a deal for the Australian subsidiary to be responsible for marketing Lincoln products to Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Mr. Miskoe led an incredible life peppered with a vast array of achievements, adventures, travels and travails. One such adventure occurred while journeying from Australia to the United States in 1943 on what should have been a relaxing cruise with his beloved soul mate and wife, Dorothy Lee, a fire ignited creating the necessity for ship to be evacuated. Always fast on his feet, Miskoe leapt from the fiery Swedish motor ship with the aid of rope into a nearby raft whereupon he briskly maneuvered it to the side of the ship. He then helped numerous injured passengers from the burning vessel into the safety of the raft. Luckily there were no casualties in the fire due to the quick and heroic responses of men and women such as Mr. Miskoe.
On March 2nd, 2014 William Isaac Miskoe relinquished his mortal coil after 101 years brimming with adventure, and equal doses of devotion to his family and career. A life he once declared during his later years was filled with nary a regret. My major regret in the context of completing our project with Lincoln Electric was missing out on the opportunity to conduct an oral history with Mr. Miskoe, for he passed away prior to the details being worked out. The legacy left behind by Mr. Miskoe is vast, and it is unlikely that The Lincoln Electric Company could have gained such a strong global presence without his ambition and tireless work ethic.
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