Blame a youthful entrepreneurial spirit for introducing Bob Berry to the world of insulator collecting. In the process, he discovered a passion for this pursuit that still holds true after almost thirty years. 

Bob's father held a position with Bell Labs that required the Berry family to relocate periodically. Born in Summit, New Jersey, Bob and his family moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania; later taking residence in Indianapolis before finally settling in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

It was in Bethlehem that young Bob began to forge a connection to the world of collecting in general. Barely twelve years old, he would often peruse the local antique weekly newspapers his parents brought home, searching for additions to his coin, stamp and bottle collections. One day, an article discussing insulators and their rising value caught his eye. Immediately, Bob began to form a plan in his mind. He knew exactly where he could find some of these valuable treasures. Setting the newspaper aside, his thoughts turned to an old toll line not far from his home - long abandoned with no wires!

Accompanied by a friend and a ladder, Bob set off to gather up the jewels that would surely bring him untold wealth. He held little doubt that with his anticipated bounty he would make a fortune at the local antique store. With that foremost in his mind, Bob and his friend retrieved a few dozen specimens, all typical toll line pieces: CD 121 A. T. & T.'s; CD 122 examples by Armstrong and Whitall Tatum. His very first insulator, a CD 102 Brookfield, was found at the base of the first pole the boys visited. (Bob still has this insulator in his collection: a McDougalds [090] listing in aqua.)

Having completed the critical part of his plan, there remained only the simple matter of exchanging his glass for cash. Bob's parents drove him to the antique store, the youngster entered, and, upon locating the owner, launched into his sales pitch. The shop owner's response - "I don't need any more of those things, I've got a shelf full already!" - was an unexpected twist in Bob's plan. 

With those words, Berry's vision of easy money was quickly deflated. However, the assortment of insulators shown to him by the shopkeeper awakened a different vision, a distinct and instant appreciation for the variety of shapes, sizes and colors exhibited by the insulators on display. That day, Bob returned home not only still in possession of everything he had hoped to sell, but also as the proud new owner of an additional half dozen or so specimens he purchased from the assortment at the antique store.

The year was 1972, and Bob Berry was now irreversibly hooked on insulators. By 1974, Bob had joined the National Insulator Association, subscribed to Crown Jewels of the Wire magazine and acquired a set of Milholland's reference guidebooks. His interest in insulators was developing rapidly, and each new insulator he found fueled his excitement. Even so, it gradually became apparent that certain insulators held a special appeal to him - these being his beloved power distribution pieces. Their appeal harkened right back to his original interest in insulators; the variety of their design rekindled his appreciation of their shapes and sizes -- sometimes unique; often unusual.

In 1977, Berry departed Bethlehem to attend college. Clemson, South Carolina - once a flagstop on the former Southern Railway mainline through the south - was where Bob elected to further his education. His chosen field of study was heavily influenced by his interest in insulators. He emerged from Clemson University in 1981 with a bachelors degree in electrical engineering. Bob admits to experiencing a lull in his collecting activity during college, managing only a handful of explorations along the tracks that skirted the town of Clemson. 

An early view (circa 1977) of Berry's collection. 
Note the bottom row devoted to CD 160's.

The Berry Family -- Bob, Carolyn 
and their children Todd and Megan.

On the water in "Frisky", a 1948 Chris Craft.

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A portion of the insulator room.

Colorful multiparts and early white porcelain.

CD 331 Pyrex 701 seen in service during a multipart hunt.


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Rare and colorful porcelain serve as a 
back drop for some early computer hardware.

After graduating, Berry accepted an offer to work for IBM at their Poughkeepsie, NY facility. There, a young woman - the rental manager at a friend's apartment complex - caught not only his eye, but his affection as well. That woman was Carolyn Matson, a Schenectady, New York native. Bob and Carolyn were married on October 1, 1988 at the First Presbyterian Church in Schenectady. They have two children; Meghan and Todd. Each has their own small collection of insulators, but Bob says their power collecting genes haven't become apparent yet! 

Those who are members of the NIA will recognize Carolyn for her efforts as the groups Product Marketing chairman. During her tenure in that position, she has introduced several new and popular NIA logo items such as denim golf shirts and grey tee shirts. 

In May 1993, having worked with IBM in New York all of his adult life, Berry realized that opportunities there in his chosen field were diminishing. Bob and Carolyn and their young family headed south to Texas, settling in Round Rock, where Bob joined the staff of IBM's Microelectronic division. His work there currently involves production of Power PC chips used in Apple computers and IBM Unix servers. Of no surprise to those who know him professionally, Bob has had more than one of his ideas successfully pass through the Patent Office with his name as inventor.

Throughout the course of his involvement with insulator collecting, Berry has tried to specialize. It hasn't always been easy, because his interest extends to all types of insulators. His primary specialty, as noted earlier, is power glass, which for him is best represented by CD's 216 through 342. He also maintains a collection of CD 160 baby signals, and in the late 1980's he began collecting porcelain insulators. 

It was during the Allentown National in 1989 that Bob's interest in porcelain really catalyzed. He credits Bill Rohde and Mike Guthrie with providing the spark by means of the massive selection of these insulators they made available at the show. Berry fondly recalls acquiring his first M-2795 combination glass/porcelain at Allentown. 

In the many years since he first leaned a ladder against the poles of that old toll line near his house, Bob has been involved in his fair share of insulator hunting adventures. He notes that most of these treks have been in pursuit of porcelain in the wild. Together with his friends Steve Jones, Ken Willick and Jeff Kaminski, no place in the northeastern US was immune from a picking foray. Berry can easily recount the details from any of a number of memorable outings with Kaminski along early power lines in Massachusetts. The fact that their objective on these outings were huge multiparts which had to be hauled miles out of the woods in no way diminished the enjoyment they experienced while recovering such prime pieces.

Bob tells of another trip in western New York, guided by Willick. Together with Jones, the trio walked some of the very earliest power lines leading out of Niagara Falls, the historic birthplace of AC power. They found some fantastic early porcelain - pieces that are still a highly treasured part of Bob's collection. 

Bob has a number of interests in addition to insulators. He harbors a curiosity about antique computer hardware, and has a small collection of early mainframe and home computers. He's been home brewing since 1996 -- his specialty right now is pale ale and Australian stout. He's also done a few lagers.

Berry's grandparents lived in northern Michigan, and his visits there as a child fostered an interest in the finely crafted wooden boats plying the waters of nearby Lake Huron. Although he does not presently have an antique wooden boat, he looks forward to a time when he'll have the space to own one. In the meantime, he enjoys piloting his fathers 1948 Chris Craft around the familiar confines of the second largest Great Lake whenever he can.

Bob Berry is a man who gives to our hobby graciously of both his time and talents. His long-term affiliation with the NIA has culminated in his current chairmanship of the Promotions and Education Committee. Bob also serves the NIA as webmaster of their Internet site: http://www.nia.org. And, together with Steve Jones and Bill Meier, he has overseen the construction of a porcelain section at www.insulators.com.

Pausing to reflect on Berry's accomplishments in the field of insulator collecting, we see a person who began winning awards for his displays as early as 1978 (Best of Show, Perkiomenville, PA) and has since then continued to display impressive pieces. His most recent award came in 1997, the Lone Star Insulator Club Showmanship Award.

With his presence in the hobby now spanning three decades, Bob Berry stands firmly as one of the insulator world's elder statesmen. No doubt many more years in that role await him. I'm sure many will share the sentiment that our hobby could have no better role model.