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Electrical Apparatus, Sep 2008 by Hoff, Joseph

A Good Samaritan

Maybe the deepest, most lasting sense of satisfaction comes from doing something nice for somebody in need and then seeing a smile on the person's face in response. This is just the sort of experience Dave Humphrey, who serves as predictive motor analyst with Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, relishes most since he started volunteering for Habitat for Humanity in 1997.

His charitable-heartedness and capacity for painstaking attention to detail in doing electrical work have enabled many fami lies to fulfill their dreams of owning homes. In return for his efforts, Humphrey has seen quite a few grateful smiles.

As a predictive motor analyst during the week, Humphrey is concerned primarily with testing electric motors, including servos and a-c and d-c motors, as well as compressors and chillers. He tests the motors and analyzes results, conducting a follow-up if corrective work needs to be done.

Originally, General Motors owned Allison Transmission, but GM sold the company to Carlyle Group in August 2007. Allison Transmission continues to manufacture heavy-duty automatic truck transmissions. Its client roster includes Freightliner, BlueBird Bus, Volvo, GMC, Kenworth, Peterbuilt, John Deer, International, and Thomas Bus.

"Every transmission that leaves is tested at our factory for quality reliability," says Humphrey.

Humphrey is able to apply this same know-how as a master electrician in his work for Habitat for Humanity. Since becoming involved with the effort, he has worked on roughly 25 houses. His specialty is wiring. Humphrey first got involved after seeing a presentation at his church.

"I asked them how they do their wiring," explains Humphrey. "They told me they were doing it unsupervised, and I told them that I have to get involved."

It is no secret that installation of wiring in a home is not a job for just anybody, in view of the risk of electrical fires when it is not installed properly.

"I felt that without a master electrician supervising, it was not safe," says Humphrey.

Today, he has a pool of electricians whose expertise can be tapped into for projects. They are always prepared to work when Humphrey arrives at a site. The arrangement is a win-win.

A project first gets underway for Humphrey when Habitat for Humanity provides an address. Once the windows and doors are in, he and his team do the rough end electrical work. After the dry wall is installed, they do the finish work.

"It is sort of like my hobby because I get to see my older friends," says Humphrey. "We think it is fun."

His hobby also directly contributes to elevating the standard of living for a family. Typically, the person or family eligible for Habitat for Humanity is from a lowincome background. Once selected, they must work on the house for 400 hours in order to build sweat equity. That qualifies as a down payment. They subsequently receive a 20-year interest-free mortgage.

Humphrey keeps his skills sharp in part through teaching at Ivy Tech College, where he is qualified to teach courses in master electrician preparation, electrical safety, electrical estimating, a-c and d-c circuits, motor transformers, and motor controls.

"I am always in teaching mode," he concludes.-Joseph Hoff