EVENTS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

A Lifetime in the Trade

Irvin “Herb” Beck joined the Carpenters Union in 1950. Seventy-five years later, the Scranton Local Union 445 member still speaks with pride about the career that shaped his life and the brotherhood that supported him along the way.

Born and raised in Factoryville, about 15 miles north of Scranton, Herb has called the small Pennsylvania town home his entire life. “I was only gone for two years when I served in the military,” he said. “Otherwise, I’ve lived here all my life.”

After starting his apprenticeship in 1950, Herb was drafted into the U.S. military the following year, serving from April 1951 to March 1953. When he returned home, he picked up right where he left off, continuing to build a lifelong career in carpentry.

“My girlfriend’s father at the time worked at Mayflower Showcase, a store fixture company,” Herb recalled. “That’s how I got interested in carpentry. It just sort of happened, and I never left.”

He began as a cabinetmaker before moving into commercial construction, which offered more opportunities. One of his first commercial projects was on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

“My first two mornings were below zero, and that was my initiation into bridge work.”

Over the next several decades, Herb built homes, schools, and large housing developments across northeastern Pennsylvania. He worked his way up from carpenter to foreman, general foreman, and eventually superintendent. He oversaw crews in that role for the final 17 years of his career.

“One day at lunch, the owner of the company told me, ‘Herb, you’re one of the best superintendents I ever had,’” he recalled. “That was one of the biggest compliments I could ever get. You don’t forget that.”

Herb’s leadership left a lasting impression on the people he worked with. “To this day, guys come up to me and say, ‘Herb, it was good working for you,’” he said. “That’s the best compliment anybody can get.”

In addition to his time in the field, Herb served as Recording Secretary of his local union for more than 20 years.

Now 95 years old, Herb looks back on a career that spanned generations of carpenters and major projects across Pennsylvania. When asked what stands out most after all these years, he answers humbly.

“I am proud to be called a Union Carpenter.”