If a street light goes on the blink next year, for the first time in 37 years, John Curran will not be called.

That’s because the longtime city employee charged with making electrical repairs to street lights and stoplights retired this week.

Curran, 62, started as electrical repairman for the city’s street division in 1972, making sure the traffic lights at the city’s 63 intersections are working right and maintaining the 3,000-plus street lights.

Over 37 years, Curran has seen three generations of street lights come through the city.

He started working on electromagnetic control units that were notoriously unreliable. City police officers were told to hit the metal boxes with nightsticks to try to right the controls. If that failed, they called Curran.

Curran said the constantly clicking sound of the unit was much better.

“It was like listening to a player piano or a music box that always played the same 16-song set,” Curran said.

The city moved to a more advanced electrical control unit in the 1980s and now has computerized control cabinets that can be run through a laptop computer.

All of the new technology still calls for some simple solutions, such as clearing snow from light-emitting diode traffic lights with long squeegees because the lights do not generate enough heat.

Happy in his work

Curran graduated from Marquette University with an electrical engineering degree and earned a professional engineer’s license in the 1970s, but never looked to move on or up.

“He always says, ‘I might not get rich being a city worker, but I’ll always be able to feed my kids and pay my bills,” said Bob Potts, the city’s electrical supervisor for the street division.

Curran’s role also meant being on call for traffic light problems that required immediate attention.

“I’ve been kind of like an obstetrician. I never know when I’m going to get a call at one or two in the morning,” Curran said.

Electrical wizard

Curran’s shorter stature also made him the person to install intercom cables throughout the walls of the city hall.

Working in the street division also led to frequent snow-plowing runs, and he also buried many electrical wires for the city. His electrical background also made him a go-to person for electrical repair questions.

Potts said Curran has taught many people in the division about the city’s lights.

“The majority of what people know about these lights is what ‘Little John’ has taught them. He’s been good for the city taxpayers,” Potts said. “We’re really going to miss him.”

Curran said he looked forward to spending more time with his grandchildren and maybe finding a new challenge, but likely not another one that will send him to the middle of a busy intersection to fix a traffic light in a snowstorm.

“It will be nice to not get out of bed when it’s cold,” Curran said. “But my favorite thing was just working with the people.”