CIS Sketches: Dan Corbeil, Telecom

by Martin England

Photo by UNH Photo Services

Ah, the lure of the sea: its power undeniable, its beauty anesthetizing. For folks who grow up being lulled to sleep by the sound of waves lapping on the shoreline, its sudden absence can be troubling. Inevitably, it draws those back who fray from the sea’s heavy influence, at once magnetic and resonant. It’s a siren’s song, in reverse.

Dan Corbeil grew up in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, in the shadows of piers and amusement rides. He spent the first eight years of his life wading through tidal pools, collecting shellfish and driftwood. “As kids, we used to hang out on the marsh, or the rock caves near the breakwater,” Dan said. “The pier was for tourists, that is, until I got older and became interested in girls…and then it was the place to be.”

Eventually, the Corbeil’s moved to Biddeford, Maine where Dan graduated from high school. Although he could still smell the ocean on warm summer days, his life was suddenly different. He now found solace in the woods more often than the sea, and also in the backyard sports that occupied his youth. “Back then, video games didn’t exist,” he said. “There was a neighborhood full of kids, and we’d go around knocking on doors, getting kids to play sports. Whatever the season was, that’s what we’d play.”

Dan joined the Army straight out of high school. It was during this period he soon realized something was sorely missing from his life: the sea. He was first stationed in Georgia, then Germany, and eventually was relocated to land-locked Kansas. “I think I took the ocean for granted. I didn’t realize it until I moved away and wasn’t near it. And then you come home on leave, and you go to the ocean, and it just blows you away. I’ve had this amazing thing my whole life and never realized how great it was.”

During his time in the military, Dan learned the finer points of telecommunications. Upon his return to Maine, he took a job at the University of Southern Maine, and eventually, when the opportunity arose, a position at UNH, where he has worked from the ground floor up for 11 years, first as a Telecom Technician, and currently as Telecom Operations Manager. His responsibilities include overseeing the Telecom Work Order Writers, the Technical Service Group, PBX Operations and the Telecom Technicians.

During his time at UNH, Dan has seen phone calls go the way of the longhand letter. “Things are much more data-centric now. Most people cannot do their job without a network connection. On the voice side, not much has changed. It’s been around for 100 years.”

There’s a code among Telecom Technicians which has helped lay the foundation for the UNH Voice and Data Network. The job requires a long-view mindset. “One of the big things the techs say is ‘Don’t screw up the next guy. Don’t just think about what you need to do, think about what needs to be done in six months.’ It used to take us two days to install a fax, because we’d have to run cable and everything. Now, because of all the work we’ve done, it takes about 15-20 minutes.”

Dan’s work ethic was sewn into him at an early age. His folks modeled the importance of hard work, as well as the rewards. “My parents were religious about getting to work every day, on time. It was the hard work I saw them put in during my years of growing up that made me who I am. Their dedication and commitment to hard work definitely rubbed off on me. I get a lot of satisfaction out of knowing that I worked hard to get something done, whether it’s here at work, or at home building a stone wall. I love to work up a sweat.”

Dan found Jen, the love of his life, in his own backyard (she’s also from Old Orchard Beach). The couple has been married for nine years, and because of their mutual affection for the ocean, decided living near it was a must. They now reside in Eliot, Maine, near the banks of the Atlantic-bound Piscataqua River. “The ocean played a big part when Jen and I were looking for a house. We wanted to stay on the seacoast. We both grew up around the ocean, and both really appreciated it, so we wanted to stay as close as possible.”

The outdoors is a shared passion for Dan and Jen, whether it’s hiking, biking or skiing. Annually, in April, they make the trek to Tuckerman’s Ravine on Mount Washington to witness brave-hearted skiers make the perilous flight off Tuckerman’s Headwall . “It’s almost like an outdoor rock concert. I’ve seen people get engaged up there, or just go up to eat lunch on the rocks and watch others ski. There’s definitely a strong sense of community. On the way in, people are lined up like pack mules, one after another, edging each other on to make the two hour hike in. It’s a ball.”

Dan’s watched many people take the plunge from the Headwall, some successful, others who slip and fall like crash test dummies into The Bowl. Dan has only skied off the Headwall once, and somehow lived to tell about it. “The first time I went up, I was so scared. You’re standing on your skis and you’re touching the side of the mountain. Hiking the headwall is like climbing a ladder. I was halfway up, and was thinking ‘I can’t turn around.’ I couldn’t go backwards, because there’s a line of people behind me, and I couldn’t step off to the side to put my skis on and bail because it’s too steep. I had to go up over the headwall, but in my mind I was thinking ‘that means sooner or later I have to go down with my skis on.’ I made it, although it probably wasn’t the most graceful run.”

Recently, Dan took up digital photography, a passion that has truly changed his view of the world. After taking a course through Granite State College, he now enjoys taking nature photos. Subjects include sunrises, moose, and snow-covered pines. “I see things differently now,” he said. “I can look around and not just see an object, but I see it in a different way or a different light. I’ve never been a creative person, and photography has helped open that piece up for me.”

-Published in May 2006