Letters

More praise for leading ladies

I enjoyed "Leading ladies," March issue, page 26. In addition to the remarkable accomplishments mentioned about Helene Hardy Pierce, vice president of technical services, codes and industry relations for GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, N.J., I would like to include her selection as a Fellow of RCI Inc. in March 2005. This honorary title is bestowed upon individuals who notably contribute to the advancement of the building envelope industry and consulting through communication, education, research and/or service to RCI.

Pierce is the first female in RCI's history to receive this esteemed designation. In addition, she has served as secretary for the Roof Consultants Institute Foundation since its inception in 2000.

Congratulations to the four women honored in your article, as well as all the other women in the industry, for their many contributions.

Micki Kamszik
RCI Inc.
Raleigh, N.C.

Support for female roofing workers

Thank you for publishing "A model employee" in Professional Roofing Workers, April issue, page 10. I am almost 40 years old, and just a few months ago, I made a voluntary change of career from industry professional to roofing worker for many of the same reasons Gena Madeley cites for enjoying her career. I, too, have had a wonderful start in this male-dominated industry, experienced collegial respect as a matter of course and surprised many by joining a roofing crew.

One point the article about Madeley does not cover that has been significant in my experience is the reaction of people outside the roofing industry. It takes courage to withstand the negative reaction of people who are surprised and cannot understand how a woman can prefer the satisfaction of performing work with results you can see after a day on a roof to an office environment where the value of work is placed on preparing to do work: attending meetings, being on committees and writing reports that become obsolete after two months regardless of whether they have been used toward a project.

I am heartened at this early stage of my commitment to the roofing industry to read an article about someone who has been putting her shoulder to the wheel a lot longer than I have and who clearly is happy in her work-life balance, not to mention valued by the industry.

Christina Petriuk
Winnipeg, Manitoba