We mourn the passing of our Brother Edward P. Cosgrove, retired Journeyman Inside Wireman, who was 81 years old, and had been a Local 569 member for over 56 years. Born in Enterprize, Alabama, his family moved to San Diego, when Ed was just 4 years old. Several years later, he began high school at St. Augustine, and would complete high school at El Capitan, two strong sports team rivals. Immediately after high school, Ed entered the U.S. Army, where he attained the rank of Private E-2.
It was through this exposure to mechanics, that he discovered he had a knack. When his Army service ended in mid-1965, Ed entered the U.S. Forest Service, specializing in fire control aid. Then a short stint ensued at T-Chem Products, in El Cajon, as a fill line operator. By late December 1967, Ed’s first Union opportunity arose in the form of Ets Hokin & Galvan, a San Diego shipyard that needed ‘hands’. After a few months, another shipyard, Fischbach & Moore (F & M), presented another path for Ed. While at F & M, an even better opportunity, the wireman’s apprenticeship, ‘called out’ to him. By April 1968, Ed was enrolled in the Joint Apprenticeship Training Program. This entailed working a full-time job, as well as attending apprenticeship classes at San Diego City College (where the Local 569 training program was encamped during the 50s, 60s, and 70s, before our ETI Building was built).
Being someone who loved learning, Ed thrived on receiving his training at shops such as: Hamilton, Staniforth, Chula Vista Electric, Oliver Electric, S.D.G.& E, American Electric, and S & M. Ed graduated to journeyman (1972), while still at S & M. He would spend his long career at the following shops: Hamilton (again), Bechtel (totaled more than 9 years over 3 dispatches), Morrow-Meadows ( 5 dispatches), Chula Vista (4 more dispatches), Calmat, F & M (again), Van Der Linden (almost a year), R.P. Richards (twice), and Southland (twice). During the several years before fully retiring, Ed would do the short call circuit, splitting his time among shops such as: GES, Edlen, Freeman, CES, and TSE.
Ed fully retired in mid-2009. The Union had become a family affair, for his younger brother, George, also graduated from the apprenticeship program, and retired from the trade in 2007. (Sadly, George passed in May 2024.) Even after retirement, Ed still had a thirst for learning and engagement. He would attend some of the regular Union monthly meetings (even though he knew he couldn’t vote), as well as some of the Retirees Club meetings. Ed was informed by his faith, his family, and his Union. He could truly “light up a room”, without being overbearing. Those who interacted with him felt seen and heard, and one could not help but feel happier after the encounter. Ed will truly be missed.
Services will be held at 10 am, on Weds., Jan. 7th, at St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church, located at 1147 Discovery Street, San Marcos, 92078. Internment will follow at the Miramar National Cemetery, located at 5795 Nobel Drive, San Diego, 92122.
