HAMMERING THEIR WAY INTO HARVARD HISTORY

One has acted on television, film and off-Broadway theater. Another is a published poet and journalist, with bylines in such prestigious publications as The Nation.

The list goes on and on.

Meet the people who are bringing new luxury to Harvard's buildings while simultaneously maintaining their histories and traditions.

Since Harvard began full-scale renovations of its Yard dorms and other select buildings more than a year ago, hundreds of construction workers have graced the University with their presence--and many with their life stories.

Two crews contracted by Beacon Construction are currently renovating Thayer Hall and erecting Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel's new Rosovsky Hall. The Thayer gang, about 100 workers strong, can be viewed as a group of individuals with oodles of unique stories in their toolboxes.

"We all know the stereotype of the construction worker," says Joseph D. Power, construction steward for Local 40. "He works all day, comes home and drinks beer all night."

"Well, it's not true," says Power, who oversees the 30 carpenters working on Thayer. "We have other lives too."

The construction workers refurbishing Thayer, many of whom worked on other recent Yard renovations, take pride in their work and their unions.

Last year, for the visit of the king and queen of Spain, all the carpenters dressed up in white "to show craft pride," Power says.

The workers have come to Harvard from a variety of backgrounds.

After serving for three years with the U.S. Navy in Morocco, Thomas J. Vittorioso served his apprenticeship in carpentry. But he was drawn away from his trade by the lure of the theater, he says.

After work in local community theater, Vittorioso expanded his horizons. He worked in Boston and received bit parts in films and commercials.

In addition to his work off-Broadway, Vittorioso worked in an award-winning theater company and participated in an international theater festival. He has performed in plays by writers from Anton Chekov to Sam Shepard.

But Vittorioso eventually decided to settle down and return to his carpentry roots--which has brought him back to Boston. "I enjoy the restoration work," he says. "There's a real challenge in taking the old and making it new again. I prefer this work over new construction."

Like Vittorioso, Susan Eisenberg received her training in carpentry. But she moved into another field as well: writing.

When not working in carpentry, Eisenberg composes poetry. Her book of poetry, It's a Good Thing I'm Not Macho, was published in 1984.

Eisenberg's work as a journalist, which focuses on labor organization, has appeared in publications such as The Nation and the financial magazine Dollars and Sense.

Claude J. LeBlanc, as general superintendent for Beacon Construction, has supervised renovations and new construction all over Boston. But for LeBlanc, working in historic Harvard Yard on the Thayer Hall renovation has a special significance.

"There's a certain pride in knowing that you're part of maintaining and upgrading Harvard Yard's history," says LeBlanc, who also supervised the Weld Hall renovations.

"New construction is satisfying," says LeBlanc, who also oversees the current construction of Rosovsky Hall. "But there's a lot of satisfaction in knowing that perhaps another 100 years from now this building will still be here, and that you played a part in that."

Roberto Gomez, who erected the scaffolding for Thayer, voices sentiments similar to LeBlanc's. Gomez says he feels that when his children are grown, he will be proud to show them where he worked.

Other construction workers like carpenter Robert A. Perechodiuk say that special satisfaction can be derived from working for "one of the oldest colleges in the country."

Perechodiuk also prides himself on aiming to have the dormitories ready for students on time.

Wouldn't you like to know...

Many construction workers at Harvard have interesting stories that stem from the University's historic nature.

"In every exterior window sill there are different names and years all scratched in," says carpenter Michael B. McCartin. "Altogether, there are literally hundreds of them."

Carpenter Ivan A. LeBlanc says that many of the nails used in the original Harvard buildings are socalled "Paul Revere nails," dating back to the times of the legendary American patriot.

But history, while it has its charms, can also create problems for construction efforts. "Harvard projects are dirtier and nastier than usual ones. They're not like new construction," Power says.

Power cites as problems the dust, debris and the poor quality of building materials from 100 years ago, which didn't have to pass the tests they must pass now.

Furthermore, workers say Harvard can be a challenging employer and customer to deal with--sometimes because of its efforts to maintain its historic character.

"Harvard has certain requirements--they want what they want," says Claude LeBlanc, the superintendent. "They're a demanding client."

Harvard keeps a close watch over the construction projects it undertakes and generally has stricter regulations, says Michael B. McCartin, a journeyman carpenter who has worked on the Pennypacker renovations and now works on Thayer.

Perechodiuk says he agrees with McCartin's assessment, citing Harvard's rule against smoking in the building and the tight work schedules.

In its effort to maintain the historical character of Thayer (and increase its longevity), Harvard has requested hardwood floors, restoration of original fireplace mantles, and slate roofs. These requests can involve complex procedures and specialized skills, workers say.

History? So What?

But not all workers feel the same sense of history, and for some the rewards of working at Harvard are more tangible than nostalgic.

Despite the school's rich history and the interesting working environment, workers often complain about their jobs--often because of the fact that their employer is Harvard.

"If you don't work you can't eat," says John J. Robbins, who also worked at Pennypacker. "I don't really feel any sense of history working here."

And some workers just aren't happy at all working at Harvard.

"If I had another place to work I would," says roofer Michael Braga, whose major gripe is reduced pay. "I think Harvard sucks...There's all this `Do you have any Grey Poupon?' bullshit. The buildings are nice, but who cares?"

Specifically, some of the construction workers point first to the 10 percent cut in pay they took as a result of agreements between Harvard and the trade unions--in which Harvard promised several building contracts in exchange for wage concessions.

"The 10 percent cut in pay stinks, and it isn't fair from the richest college in the country," says roofer Roger M. Young.

"The joke is that we should be able to get tax write-offs for the pay cut we took. After all, the money went to Harvard," Power says.

Michael Braga, a roofer, says the agreement which included the 10 percent cut, negotiated by Harvard and union leaders, takes advantage of workers.

He says he could never make enough money to send his children to Harvard, and that Harvard should be blamed for perpetuating a social hierarchy.

"Institutions like Harvard see to it that the working class will always stay in the boat they're in," he says.

Power explains that the union is unhappy that "a lot" of construction work at Harvard is being done by non-union workers.

Eisenberg, the poet-turned-carpenter, says that Harvard sites have lower safety standards than some of her previous construction jobs.

"You can tell this just from looking around," she says. "For example, they are supposed to have railings surrounding open shafts, and they don't."

The hours that Harvard sets for the workers are also the subject of complaints. In most jobs, workers work from seven in the morning to 3:30 p.m. At Harvard, work starts and ends an hour later--forcing the workers to commute during rush hour.

The reason given for the late start is that students are sleeping, Young says. But he doesn't accept such a rationale.

"Students should be up at 7 a.m. College is where you come to learn something. No partying. No hanging weird things out the window," says Young as he gestures towards the banners hanging from Holworthy Hall.

Perhaps as a consolation, the workers say the college setting provides them with occasional interesting sights--from sex in the library stacks to crossdressers.

"Sometimes we see guys walking around looking like girls," Young says.

Carpenter John J. Robbins, who works at Thayer and also worked at Pennypacker, describes what he saw one day 19 years ago when working on Pusey Library.

"I looked up at Widener, and through the window I could see a guy and a girl getting it on," he says.

In the end, the relationship between Harvard and its construction workers can perhaps be seen as one of mutual benefit.

"We are privileged to work here," says carpenter steward Power. "And they are privileged to have us--the cream of the crop of construction workers."