Kingston’s first female plumber recalls pioneer days

Eileen Kennedy and her late husband, Tom.

Kennedy is flanked by two additional power-tower women. Her mother was a professional wrestler, once featured on the front page of the Daily News with perfect pin curls and lipstick and a big smile, grappling another nicely-made woman in a clamshell hold. Kennedy’s daughter, Keegan Ales bartender and local bonne vivante Brianne Olsson, described her mother as hailing from a line of “incredibly strong, ground-breaking women,” noting that her great-grandmother a riveter. Olsson said though she was young at the time, she remembers when her mom first started working for the Steamfitters Union. “At first, it worked out when I needed a Halloween costume — ‘Here, take my hard hat and tool belt!’” Olsson, who herself stands 6’1” tall and who arm-wrestles for charity, remembered her mom coming home from working on New York City skyscrapers exhausted from her day. “I remember her telling me about how some of the men she worked with loathed the fact that she was there,” said Olsson. “They assumed that she wasn’t able to handle the workload on her own — little did they know, mom had taken, and passed the [New York City firefighters’] exam … not an easy feat for a man, much less a woman. I also remember her long, pink fingernails, and magenta work boots. I’m sure that didn’t help her gain any more respect from the ‘traditional thinkers, but it didn’t matter … her work ethic, and the importance of knowing how to carry herself after tasteless practical jokes shined through, and by the time she got her ‘book’ (union apprentice graduation) those jokes and snarky comments were a lot fewer and far between. She had proven herself to be a good worker, not just another affirmative action hire.”

Kennedy said the years of working hard construction were not gentle on her body. The vibration from the jackhammer, the kneeling and the shouldering heavy loads took a serious toll, including several accidents which have permanently damaged her knees and neck and left her in intense pain.

Once on a jobsite Kennedy met a man on a roof, Tom, and fell for him (wink, wink). After marrying and moving to his hometown, Kingston, and buying several apartment buildings in need of repair, Kennedy soon found her second professional foray into another man’s trade: plumbing. Rather than hiring someone to do her emergency hot water replacement, Kennedy felt competent to complete herself, she took the exam and established herself as a plumber, going straight to work on her own buildings first. She was Kingston’s first female plumber. “The old men said I couldn’t do it — no woman had ever done it before — but I had to.”

Like the steamfitters of Gotham, the plumbers of Kingston were not entirely enthused to see a woman doing their job. Though many of the older men gave her flak, it was the younger men whose sense of “manhood” was truly threatened, she said.

The City of Kingston then hired her as a housing inspector, however the plumbing inspector quit the following day, and so Kennedy found herself filling his shoes instead.  Kennedy said the most startling thing she discovered while doing housing inspections was how many hoarders Kingston has in their single-family houses. “It’s a frightening thing,” she said. “One man was peeing in bottles, hoarding, feces were smeared everywhere. Heart-breaking. He was not able to take care of himself whatsoever. After our visit, he was sent to an assisted living facility where he improved. You saw all sorts of stuff going to people’s homes.”

Kennedy worked for the city for several years until her husband Tom was diagnosed with cancer. Everything changed.

Kennedy devoted all of her time to caring for Tom, who she described as her best friend and partner. After fighting for years, Tom passed away a year ago, a loss which Kennedy said she can barely withstand. These days, Kennedy is struggling with the daily pain of fibromyalgia while collecting herself emotionally and otherwise.  She is focused on the house the couple built together, and helping with Tom’s adult kids, as well as Olsson.

Olsson said her mother always taught her the importance of being a strong person. The most important lesson Olsson takes from her mother, she said, is “stand up for yourself.”

Olsson said much of her power and strength comes from her mother. “My only wish is to be able to carry on the tradition of badass three generations have set before me.”