Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
KOPPES, Ron
KOPPES, Ron. (Dubuque, IA, July 18, 1946--Dubuque, IA, Oct. 23, 2022) The son of Richard L. and Dorothy Lee (Kelly) Koppes, Ron married Kathy Shepherd, on January 11, 1969, at SACRED HEART CHURCH. In 1970 Ron, who joined the union at the age of twenty-four, helped organize ESKA COMPANY INC. (THE) as a company associated with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 1238. He was elected vice president in 1971 and then served as president from 1972 to 1984. In 1984 Koppes left Eska to serve as the labor liaison with United Way of Dubuque Area Tri-States and retired in 2014. He was inducted into the DUBUQUE AREA LABOR HALL OF FAME in 2015. (1)
Ron was very active in his community. He was a founding member and volunteered countless hours with the DUBUQUE AREA LABOR HARVEST. Ron was very active with the local unions. He served as the president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 1238, Dubuque Metal Trades Council, and the Dubuque Federation of Labor. He served as a delegate for the Iowa Federation of Labor and the Iowa State Council of Machinists. (2) He also served on both the Dubuque County Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Airport Commission. (3)
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Source:
1. Kruse, John, "Local Labor Leader Remembered for Commitment to Service," Telegraph Herald, October 27, 2022, p. 2A
2. Ibid.
3. "3 Inducted into the Dubuque Area Labor Hall of Fame, Telegraph Herald, February 8, 2015, p. 5