UAW People

Stories by Mike Rosenbaum

IRA WOLFE, Local 686:
Learning First Hand That CPR Saves Lives

Ira Wolfe no longer complains about CPR certification.

As an assistant football coach at Barker (N.Y.) High School for 15 years, Ira Wolfe was required to learn CPR and undergo annual re-certification. Wolfe, elected by his co-workers at UAW Local 686 as a shop committeeman at Delphi’s Harrison Thermal Systems plant in Lockport, N.Y., admits that he once complained about the re-certifications.

He’s not complaining anymore.

On a “beautiful day” last summer, Wolfe says, he attended a combination bridal shower/family gathering. But the tranquility was shattered when a 4-year-old named Tyler, the son of a friend, was spotted face down in the swimming pool.

Wolfe approached as the child, blue and not breathing, was pulled from the pool. “People were screaming,” Wolfe recalls. “I started to administer CPR. I told the people--who were running around and screaming-- ‘Someone call 911!’

“I really don’t remember how long a time frame it was before the ambulance got there, but I could hear the sirens coming in the background. While I was doing the CPR his eyes opened, but he still wasn’t breathing.

“I continued, and it seemed like forever, but it was probably a few minutes. Then the boy started choking and spitting water up, so I sat him up and let him vomit. He vomited out a lot of water. He was so cold--his lips were really purple and his face and skin were blue--the paramedics took him wrapped in blankets to the hospital. His body temperature was about 90 degrees when they got him to the hospital.”

Nevertheless, Tyler recovered, quickly and completely.

“The next day was really a pleasure,” Wolfe adds, when Tyler “came over and gave me a hug and thanked me. That’s when it really hit home… It’s touching that you can offer somebody your assistance.”

SHERMAN CAFFEY, Local 913:
Proud Stepfather to a Gentle NFL Giant

AP/Wide World Photos

Orlando Pace: tough on the field, a gentle giant off it.

Few football fans have seen or touched a Super Bowl ring, or a major college trophy. But many Local 913 workers have, courtesy of Sherman Caffey.

No, Sherman isn’t an NFL star; he’s a set-up worker at the Sandusky, Ohio, Delphi Chassis plant. He’s also the stepfather of perhaps the top offensive lineman in the NFL, St. Louis Rams tackle Orlando Pace.

Pace was raised by his mother, Joyce, with help from his grandparents, Thomas and Idella Pace. Caffey entered the picture about the time Orlando entered Sandusky High School.

Living in a union home, Caffey says, taught Pace lessons that have helped his career. “He knew that he had to work to be able to get the things that he wants in life,” Caffey explains. “He was good in school. He stayed out of trouble. He was a real good kid.”

Pace has many fans at Local 913, which played host to a celebration when Pace won the Lombardi Trophy as the nation’s top college lineman.

After the Rams won the 2000 Super Bowl, Caffey brought Pace’s championship ring to his worksite. “Everybody really enjoyed it,” Caffey says. “That’s something you don’t see. I’ve taken his college trophies in there, his Lombardi Trophy and his Outland Trophy. It was very exciting.”

Pace is a five-year NFL veteran. He’s appeared in three Pro Bowls and has started every Rams game in the past four seasons. In 1997 the 6-feet-7, 325-pound Pace became the only offensive lineman in the last 30 years selected first overall in the NFL draft.

Pace lives in St. Louis but returns to Sandusky often, to see his family and to do community service work. On the field, Pace is known as a fierce protector of Ram quarterbacks and running backs, but after the whistle blows, he’s a first-class humanitarian.

Pace is a spokesperson for the United Way of Erie County, and a hands-on volunteer who helps feed needy families and takes local children Christmas shopping each year.