{"237811":{"#nid":"237811","#data":{"type":"news","title":"The Man Behind Georgia Tech\u2019s Whistle","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDon\u2019t ever touch that whistle.\u201d These are the words that Harold Cash has lived by since he arrived at Georgia Tech about 18 years ago.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen I was hired to oversee the power plant on campus, I remember my supervisor telling me that the only thing I needed to remember was not to lay a finger on that whistle,\u201d said Cash, manager of the Holland Power Plant. \u201cAnd that\u2019s one of the best pieces of advice I\u2019ve ever received.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOf course, he does regularly check the whistle\u2019s clock against the time at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., to ensure that it blows at five minutes before every hour between 7:55 a.m. and 5:55 p.m., Monday through Friday.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd occasionally, the whistle needs to be repaired. For example, in 2002, the bell cracked during a football game. Unfortunately, Cash had to use his last spare part \u2014 and parts for steam whistles aren\u2019t easy to come by. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECash set out to find a backup whistle that could be used if something happened to the repaired version. One day, while taking a management class at the Alumni House, he noticed a battered Tech whistle from the 1900s on display.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI thought, \u2018You know, that is as close to the original Tech whistle as you can get,\u2019\u201d Cash said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to change the tradition or the sound or anything \u2014 we want to have a whistle people are used to.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe teamed up with Dennis Brown, the now-retired manager of Georgia Tech Research Institute\u2019s Machine Services Department, to create the replacement. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNow, if something happens to our whistle, we are able to re-create an authentic replica \u2014 thanks to Dennis and his team,\u201d Cash added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKeeping Campus Comfortable\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut ensuring that the whistle whistles on is only one part of Cash\u2019s job, which also involves ensuring that buildings across campus stay warm or cool.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore he arrived at Tech, Cash worked in heating and cooling at what is now the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel for 20 years, starting as a boiler operator and leaving as a chief engineer. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI remember it was just before the Olympics, and the hotel was being sold again \u2014 I realized it was time to move on,\u201d he said. \u201cI was offered my job at Tech, and 18 years later, I\u2019m still here.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Holland Plant began operating in 1917, and the boiler room was first upgraded in 1952. According to Cash, the number one and number two units in the room (installed in 1952) are still functioning. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese days, most of his time is spent in the office taking care of the paperwork that accompanies managerial work. At the moment, the plant is undergoing a system equipment upgrade, which also requires a lot of attention. It\u2019s the only other upgrade that has occurred other than the one in 1952 and one in the 1980s. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s funny because a lot of people don\u2019t know what the plant is for \u2014 people don\u2019t think about heating and air until they don\u2019t have it,\u201d Cash said. \u201cWe have a really great team over here that stays busy keeping the buildings on campus comfortable.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESimple Pleasures\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring the week, Cash spends much of his time off campus getting to campus from his home, which is north of Cartersville. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s about 53 miles each way, but I don\u2019t mind,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s my quiet time for the day, and I enjoy it a lot.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen he\u2019s not at Tech, Cash can be found working with a Boy Scout troop at his church (which he\u2019s assisted for 20 years), mowing grass at his home, or shooting skeet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019m lucky to have a good job and a good life,\u201d Cash said. \u201cFor that, I\u2019m thankful.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDon\u2019t ever touch that whistle.\u201d These are the words that Harold Cash has lived by since he arrived at Georgia Tech about 18 years ago.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"\u201cDon\u2019t ever touch that whistle.\u201d These are the words that Harold Cash has lived by since he arrived at Georgia Tech about 18 years ago."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-09-16 15:28:37","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:53","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-09-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-09-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"237451":{"id":"237451","type":"image","title":"Harold Cash","body":null,"created":"1449243659","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:40:59","changed":"1475894911","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:31","alt":"Harold Cash","file":{"fid":"197709","name":"harold_1861_steam_v3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/harold_1861_steam_v3_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/harold_1861_steam_v3_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1342507,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/harold_1861_steam_v3_0.jpg?itok=fflWISV9"}}},"media_ids":["237451"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"3157","name":"Facilities"},{"id":"73941","name":"Harold Cash"},{"id":"73951","name":"Holland Power Plant"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}