After 30 years on the job, many people start thinking about settling down for retirement. But Bernie Eibergen, who just celebrated his 90 birthday and Leroy Barbee, turning 72 on June 6, are in no hurry.
‘Not as long as I feel good,? said Eibergen. ‘I didn’t know what I would do if I didn’t get up in the morning to get out and get going.?
Barbee agreed.
‘Working is what keeps me going,? he said.
For the last eight to 10 years Barbee and Eibergen have been working as couriers for the Associated Radiologist of Clarkston (AROC). They facilitate patient care by transporting x-rays and reports to hospitals and physicians? offices as needed.
Both men work between 26-28 hours five days per week, so someone is always available to make pick-ups and deliveries. Barbee works the morning shift and Eibergen works evenings.
‘He doesn’t like to get up early, but I’m an early riser,? said Barbee with a laugh. ‘I joined the service (Air Force) in 1955 and you had to get up every morning at 5 a.m. and I still get up at 5 a.m.?
Eibergen was also in the service. He joined the Army in 1942 and was stationed in New Guinea and the Philippines during World War II.
Neither of them is new to the medical field. Barbee began working in X-ray department at St. Joseph Mercy-Oakland in 1952.
‘I came over here for a visit (from Tennessee),? he said. ‘I got bored and said I think I’m going to go find me a job. I go out to St. Joe’s, this lady looks at me and says ‘Are you looking for a job?? I said ‘honestly, yeah.? She said ‘come on.? I’ve been there ever since.?
He worked in the same department for 52 years until retirement. He also worked at Crittenton Hospital for 33 years.
Mary Slabinski, practice manager for AROC, worked with Barbee during his time at St. Joe’s and offered him the opportunity for some part-time work alongside Eibergen.
He currently resides in Pontiac, where he has lived since 1951. He and his wife, Marion, have two children and one grandchild. Marion passed away earlier this year, in January.
Eibergen has been a Clarkston area resident since 1959. For most of his life he worked as an X-ray technician at the former North Oakland Medical Center for 35 years. After trying retirement for awhile, Eibergen said he was tired of not working.
‘I really enjoy coming to work every day and meeting nice people.?
Barbee agreed.
‘You get to meet different people,? he said. ‘A lot of times I will go to a place and people will say ‘I remember you from 15-20 years ago,? so it’s very nice.?
Eibergen was born in Alberta, Canada, and then moved to Wisconsin at age two. He took his first x-ray in 1938 at the University of Wisconsin. Bernie came from Wisconsin to Kalamazoo in 1939 to get a job.
‘There weren’t very many x-ray machines in those days,? he said. ‘I was so glad to get $25 dollars a week.?
He also recalled paying $17 and some cents a month for blue cross health insurance for his entire family.
‘For a person alone it was $9.88,? he said.
Eibergen and his wife Mary, who was a registered nurse, had seven kids. Mary passed away in 1996. Eibergen noted he also has six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Both Eibergen and Barbee recalled the days before computers and digital images and x-rays were taken on film and developed by hand.
‘When I started working in x-ray there was no nuclear medicine or no special procedures,? said Barbee. ‘Back then there was no Beaumont, was no Crittenon. There was just St. Joseph Mercy and Pontiac General. Osteopathic was downtown (Pontiac), it was really, really small.?
Eibergen said people weren’t afraid of radiation when he first started.
‘We didn’t realize the dangers at that time,? he said. We had no radiation badges in those days.?
Not only have Barbee and Eibergen seen changes in technology, but also changes in towns and cities surrounding the area.
‘I can remember back in the 50s if you mentioned Clarkston people laughed at you. They said, ‘why do we want to go to the country,? said Barbee. ‘Same thing like Rochester, nobody wanted to go. Now you can hardly afford to drive through there.?
Dr. Marc Kahn, said Eibergen and Barbee are ‘the stick that stirs drink, the glue that holds it all together.?
‘It’s great to have the two of them here, they are fun being around and they add something,? Kahn said. ‘They’ve had a lot of experience and just hearing the stories of the old days and what went on and just realizing what has changed over time and I don’t just mean technologically. The way people related was completely different.?