Dix ‘Mayor’ Whitmore retires after 68 years of service

Published April 14, 2011
By David Moore
Army Support Activity-Dix Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Steve Whitmore was honored for his 68 years of federal service during a retirement ceremony on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst April 5 at Morgan's.

The event was attended by nearly 300 military personnel, civilian workers and retirees.
"I don't want to retire, but I have to give in," said Whitmore. "Thank you all for helping me in my career and doing my job."

Whitmore began his evolving relationship with then named Fort Dix as an electrician. He rose to be operations officer for the post's Regional Directorate of Public Works.

"I didn't have one boring day working here," he said. "I didn't care about coming in at night or on a Saturday and I didn't care about the money. I care about the Soldiers having what they need."

Col. Patrick Slowey, Army Support Activity-Dix commander, spoke of the Army's Core Values as he listed each one and gave examples of how Whitmore took care of the Soldier and the mission.

"He is known as a person who always took the 'hard right' when there were problems," Slowey said.

Whitmore, who is a World War II veteran and served in First U.S. Army, was involved in many of the major battles in Central Europe. He out-processed at then Fort Dix April 29, 1946. As he was walking through the installation, he saw a help-wanted sign at the electrical shop.

"The foreman said, 'show me how to wire a three-way switch.' I did it and got the job," Whitmore said. After securing his position, he moved to Mount Holly, and purchased a 1939 robin's egg-blue Chevrolet. Rent was $5 a week and the car cost $600.

The toughest part for the New York City gentleman was telling his mother he did not want to return to the city and he enjoyed the New Jersey countryside.

All the individuals who spoke at the luncheon said at the time Whitmore was hired, the barracks were wood, the firing ranges didn't have electricity, and the Ultimate Weapon statue, the symbol of Fort Dix, had not yet arrived on the scene. It was noted the wooden barracks, when built, cost $9,000 and as new construction took place the 1960's era concrete barracks cost $350,000.

Maj. Gen. William D. R. Waff, 99th Regional Support Command commanding general, called Whitmore the "the Mayor of Fort Dix."

Whitmore received several formal military awards, certificates and gifts at the ceremony. He also received well wishes from area federal and state legislators. He received a letter from President George W. Bush five years ago during the celebration of his 60th year of federal service.

The event became a Whitmore roast after the formalities of the luncheon.

Many of the speakers talked about the man's expertise of knowing exactly what pole went down to shut electricity off at the post. Even utility company workers would look for Whitmore to quickly locate and fix a problem.

Dennis Bush, the now-retired director of the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, said whenever there was a problem or a storm at the post, he knew he could call and Whitmore would be at his desk managing the situation.

"Sometimes I used to race him to the office, but he would already be there," Bush said.

"One thing is for sure, whenever a shovel had to dig into the ground under the forward operating base and I was there, I felt safe with Steve Whitmore there since he knows where the power lines are. I wasn't sure what would happen next."

When Whitmore wasn't working, he found time to become the president of the Burlington County SPCA. He volunteered there for 42 years. For fun, while he was in his 80s, he even participated in skydiving and flew in a hot air balloon.

Dave Peckham, the last director for the installation's Regional Directorate of Public Works, recalled being picked up at the airport by Whitmore when he was coming to work at the post.

"One thing I soon found out was I could always depend on Steve being available day or night," Peckam said. "He knows the installation like the back of his hand - the people who work there and the people to get involved to make things happen. I never ran into an issue he couldn't figure out how to resolve, sometimes with unorthodox methods and more often than not to the consternation of both the budget and contracting personnel."

Peckham, who worked with Whitmore for 10 years, recalled that during a late night thunderstorm Whitmore wanted to get closer to wires to determine whether they were communication or electrical lines.

"Steven insisted on getting a closer look, so he got out of the truck and started across the field and all of a sudden disappeared," he said. "How could someone disappear in the middle of an open field? I finally heard him grumbling and found out he had fallen into one of the Dix infamous groundhog holes."

Another time during a blizzard, the two were driving on unplowed roads. Peckham remarked it was pretty tough travelling. Whitmore very calmly remarked he wasn't surprised since the two had missed their turn 10-minutes earlier and were driving in the middle of a field.

Sara Johnson, the former director of the Dix Army's Morale, Welfare and Recreation, called Whitmore a "Jack of All Trades.

"I often joked he knew where all the dead bodies are and he could fix whatever system needed to be fixed," she said. "I had his telephone number on my speed dial."

Whitmore has been working as a federal employee through 12 presidents and nine major military operations to date. It is certain; Soldiers who trained here during the post's basic training days and participated in other contingency operations were supported by Whitmore when they needed heat and electricity. Whether it was powering up concrete buildings or supporting the building of a forward operating base in the range areas, Whitmore was in the mix.

All who attended the luncheon said Whitmore always said the job is about "taking care of the Soldier, that's why I'm here."