Elevator Man Stories

A review of Jim Collett’s new book of tales that reflect upon one man’s history within the industry.

by Francis S. Studders

Prior to the publication of his book, I had read a few of Jim Collett’s Elevator Man Stories on his blog, and though enjoyable, I had preconceptions of what I thought this book would contain. To be brutally honest, I expected ­little more than random humorous stories that, though perhaps giving me the odd laugh, I thought I would tire of quickly, making it unlikely that I would actually ever read the entire book. My initial conception was one of, “This guy is a retired industry character looking to boost his pension fund a little, so why not humor the guy and give him a break for the sake of US$20?”

I have to say how very wrong I was. Although there are colorful stories that will bring a smile to your face, the ­author has also described the sadness and tragedies of losing close friends and colleagues (in most cases, I ­believe Jim would perhaps have called them “brothers”). Then, there are reflections of personal aspects of Jim’s life where he has had to deal with his own pitfalls and demons, and of his struggle to overcome them.

In short, we are given a humorous and, yes, perhaps a colorful but also sad, serious reflection of one man’s history within our industry. His career has intersected with the lives of so many other characters that I believe anyone who has been a part of this industry for 20-plus years will be able to relate many characters described in this book with people they know or have known in their own lives. ­Collett’s story is told from the good old, bad old days to the end of a construction era devoid of many of today’s health and safety regulations, from a man who has sat on all sides of the fence, from someone who rose from the ranks of helper, to mechanic, to field adjuster, to running projects himself as superintendent, then back in to the field doing the job he loved best. 

What is different here is that Collett has managed to find that magical balance of articulating his life experiences in stories with just the right number of words and in a manner that simply prevents you from putting his book down. I, for one, was completely hooked, and I stayed up well into the early hours reading about the ­exploits of so many people who I swore I knew. “Privileged” is perhaps the one word I can use to articulate how I feel after reading Elevator Man Stories.

Elevator Man Stories is published by Elevator Gear.com, edited by Patti Christy and designed by Tom Sybert. This 242-page volume contains 40 years of Collett’s witty, heartfelt stories starting in the early 1960s and ending with his retirement in 2000. To purchase the book, visit website: www.elevator gear.com or www.elevatorbooks.com.