23 JANUARY 2025 WorldWide Drilling Resource® My Friend Tom by Rick Jordan Retired Mineral Processing Engineer Way back in the early 80s, I worked as a service oiler in earthwork construction. My job was to keep equipment lubricated and fueled. My service truck was an old one-ton Ford with a 500-gallon diesel fuel tank, five barrels of various oils, and a drum of grease. I worked afternoon shifts, 4:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. or later. One evening, my fuel pump started blowing diesel from the ceramic seal between the motor and pump. To get everything fueled that night, I screwed a manual hand pump into the fuel tank and finished fueling the equipment by hand. It was a long night! I left a note for my boss asking him to get a new seal as soon as possible. The next afternoon, my boss told me the seal had to be ordered and would not arrive for a few weeks. He said he just hired the superintendent’s son to help me. I kept my mouth shut, but wondered just how much help a superintendent’s son would really be. A short while later, this kid arrived as I was filling my fuel tank. He was big - probably 6 foot 2 inches and 240 pounds, none of it fat. We introduced ourselves and he told me his name was Tom Konen. He’d just finished his college junior year and was an offensive tackle on the school’s varsity football team. I explained what we had to do and said we would take turns pumping fuel, around 750 gallons each night. Much to my surprise, he said, “Do you mind if I pump all of the fuel? I want to stay in shape for football.” For the next three weeks, Tom would straddle the tank at the start of our shift and pump fuel while I serviced the equipment. We would return to the yard and refuel the tank while we ate lunch, then he would get back on the tank for the rest of the shift. When the new fuel pump seal arrived and the pump was back up and running, the afternoon shift mechanic asked the boss if Tom could work with us for the reminder of the summer. The boss obliged. By the time Tom went back to school that fall, we’d become good friends. Tom graduated the next spring and eventually opened his own chiropractic practice in another city. We lost touch with each other after that. I heard last April that Tom was battling myeloma and the outlook was grim. His friends and family put together a benefit to help cover Tom’s medical expenses. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend. Tom passed away in August. I will forever regret not reaching out to Tom to tell him goodbye. It is hard for me to believe cancer could take down such a big, powerful man. Looking back, I can still picture him straddling that tank and pumping fuel. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to know him. I will never forget my friend Tom. Rick Rick Jordan may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com CONST Tom Konen ~ A Gentle Giant. The WWDR offices will be closed on January 1, 2025, to celebrate the New Year. We look forward to continuing our Solid Gold Service ~ with a Smile™ to the drilling industry in 2025. Click the TEAM for more . . .
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