Electrician via On-the-Job Training

He had no money for or interest in college. He was drug and alcohol addicted. He took a ‘low-level’ job, sought help to get sober and worked hard to achieve a successful career. 

FAMILY BACKGROUND

Mark Quigley’s (MQ) father was a helicopter mechanic in the military, who taught his son how to work with his hands. They would break car stereos and put them back together again. Eventually MQ could look at a blueprint and understand how the drawing could explain equipment operations.

MQ’s grandfather retired after working for 46 years at the University of Pennsylvania, starting as a laborer in the laundry room and ending in the athletic department, where he’d long served as the head grounds foreman.

Penn was a huge part of MQ’s life from an early age. His grandfather would bring MQ to games at the nationally famous ‘Palestra” – an old but beloved, indoor gymnasium, home to the Penn men’s and women’s basketball teams. Grandpa would let MQ ride on the back of the sweeper while he cleaned Franklin Field – the nationally famous, outdoor home of an annual Spring track meet attracting athletes from local high schools and colleges across the country: the ‘Penn Relays’.

ACCEPTING FAMILY ADVICE TO GET STARTED

When MQ was 17, his grandfather gave him a mandate: a groundskeeping role had just opened at the school. Grandpa decided that that MQ should apply, saying: “You’re not going to college. And you’re not going to be a bum. You need to go for it!” 

With no better options in his sight, MQ applied for the open position on the groundskeeper crew. The rest is history presented within his career story.

CHALLENGE – DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION

MQ had struggled with alcohol and drug addiction since he was 12. He was much more interested in finding a party than he was in finding a career. The closest he’d come was working as a short-order cook at a pancake restaurant chain. The Penn job paid about 50% more than MQ’s minimal hourly wage making pancakes so he accepted his grandfather’s advice, assuming it would only be a temporary stop while he pondered better working opportunities. 

“I didn’t think working that entry-level job would be the first step of a long career with the same employer,” said MQ, 

LEARNING ON THE JOB BEFORE ADDING TECH EDUCATION

After graduating from high school, MQ’s began at Penn as a groundkeeper for three years. He asked a lot of questions, showed a strong work ethic and was promoted to a new position: ‘Helper’ in the mason shop. A year later, after some specialized education during night school at Dobbins Vo-Tech school, MQ was promoted to ‘Apprentice Electrician.’ But much of his electrician education was gained on-the-job at Penn. 

At Dobbins, a teacher complemented MQ’s thinking and hands-on talents with a remark which gave MQ a boost of self-confidence for his daily work motivation: “Everything you’re learning, you can put your hands on it. High potting a transformer. Putting an outlet in. Control wiring. You can see it all.”

CHALLENGE – LIVING UP TO GOOD FAMILY REPUTATION

Even as a kid, MQ could tell that people respected his grandfather as a person who worked hard over many years at the University of Pennsylvania. Current and former athletes greeted the grandfather by name, some – including Penn and NFL legend Chuck Bednarik – sent Christmas cards annually to the grandfather. 

When MQ started his first job at Penn, he was known to all as “Charlie’s grandson.” It was going to be hard to live up to his grandfather’s excellent reputation for hard work and dedication. But the grandson had a plan to earn his own legacy: work hard and long to establish your own reputation. 

EARNING PROMOTIONS

Combining his increasing electrician trade knowledge gained on the job during the day with his evening courses, MQ earned promotion to ‘Journeyman Electrician’ and eventually to ‘Lead Electrician” for facilities in the entire athletic department. This involved being in charge of all the athletic facilities’ equipment, ranging from making sure the clocks were correctly ticking in the indoor gymnasium and outdoor fields plus painting the “P” on the football helmets. 

SEEKING HELP AND DECIDING TO MEET THE DAILY CHALLENGE OF ADDICTION

One very significant problem which MQ had been unable to fix on his own was his addiction to alcohol and drugs. When he started at Penn, he was ‘functional’ – able to work at his apprenticeship and take care of his son at home. But co-workers noticed that MQ was struggling. 

At age 25, he hit a breaking point, feeling trapped inside a cycle of shame, remorse and guilt. One morning, he said that he looked at himself in the mirror and didn’t recognize the person looking back at him. “It was not what my parents or grandfather had taught me. I was becoming someone I didn’t want to be. I had lost total control, lost the power to do anything about it. I needed to admit that and find myself.”

MQ approached his shop steward and said “I need help. I don’t know what to do. I’m either going to kill myself or wind up hurting someone else.” The steward contacted Penn’s employee-assistance program, which placed MQ – voluntarily and willingly – in rehab for 30 days. MQ has been sober since, continuing to attend Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings. He has met some of his best friends through these communities and believes the “12 steps” have made him not just a better man but also a better electrician. 

“I was young, but it was ugly,” MQ said. “We addicts often say: ‘Jails, institutions and death are our way.’ And that was coming if I had kept going down that path. Thank God that didn’t happen.” (Editor’s note – Thank also your employer for caring and yourself for charting a new path with zero exceptions.)

A TYPICAL DAY FOR A LEAD FACILITIES ELECTRICIAN

For years, MQ would arrive at the gym at 6 a.m., finding the Temple basketball team in the midst of a workout. He became friendly with all the coaches from nearby colleges who practiced at the Palestra.

Each day presented a different challenge – especially in the 98-year-old Palestra. He never knew when a bank of lights would suddenly shut off or the video board would stop working. During tournaments, MQ and his work crew would just sit and watch the electronic boards of clocks and scores, waiting for them to malfunction so they could quickly leap toward a fix. One time the shot clock over the basket stopped working mid-game, during a tournament. MQ quickly swapped out the clock at halftime, replacing it with a spare he had in the server room. The game was able to proceed in a matter of minutes. 

CAREER SATISFACTION

During his career journey earning promotions from a rookie ground crew member to a similar position as his grandfather – lead electrician in the athletic department, MQ enjoyed fulfilling, intuitive work which also allowed him to witness to some of the greatest moments in Philadelphia sports history. But more than that, his university employer provided him with not just a salary but also unconditional love. And his life has changed because of it. 

“I wound up being right where I needed to be,” notes MQ while thoughtfully looking back on his life and career. 

MQ knows he has been lucky, and tries to pay it forward, always on the lookout for anyone who needs help, whether it is friends, family or coworkers. “I’m a firm believer that you don’t get to keep what you have unless you give it away,” says MQ. He’s still helping even though he has officially retired after 42 years. 

Penn has found it difficult to replace the role MQ filled over 4+ decades. “Mark was our No. 1 go-to person for decades,” said a Penn administrator. “There are good guys that are here that will jump in and learn, but it takes time. He’s definitely missed.” 

On February 1, 2025, MQ was honored by Penn in a surprise ceremony before a men’s basketball game against Yale. He was presented with a jersey and a plaque. His family was there. Penn showed him on the video board that he used to climb to fix a blown fuse. “I was so humbled to be recognized,” he said. 

Maybe one day MQ will go back and sit high up in the stands, just as he did as a 7-year-old kid. He’ll look around at the lights, the clocks, and the boards and realize that even though he wasn’t a player or a coach, he still played a big part in making this whole thing work.

MQ appreciates that his grandfather had built his own reputation for hard work and dedication. “He had his relationships. And then I grew up and realized that I need to leave my own legacy. And the way I can do that is by honoring him; do the job; be respectful; be honest; be the best guy I can be.” Thus MQ built his own legacy. He was no longer just ‘Charlie’s grandson.’

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This career story is based on a news article written by Alex Coffey, published by the Philadelphia Inquirer on February 22, 2025.