Tim’s recollection of tools used across generations.
The same equipment, generation after generation
Tim remembers removing a water pump from the Prairie Hill farm for his mother around the time Associated Electric bought the farm, before the company took possession. He places it roughly in the late 1980s. While he was working, Bobby pointed out the equipment's family history: “That is the same well pump jack that your grandfather lost part of his thumbs on.”
The water pump began a quieter second life as a decoration in his mother's backyard, where it stood for years. His sister Mary has it now. Tim imagines the pump jack went back into a cabinet at the machine shop, ready for another job, though he does not know that for certain.
What stayed with him was how long the tools remained in use. When he was young, much of the equipment around the shop had already served for many, many years. That moment brought the generations together in a particularly vivid way: the same piece of equipment, another family member's hands, and a story remembered while the work was being done.
Source: Tim Roling’s recollection, shared in October 2026.