Stebbins celebrates 30 years as a highwayman
By Suzanne Werre
Editor
Mother Nature doesn’t stand a chance when Father Christmas is around.
For the past several years, when December’s snowfall started to show up, Coleharbor’s Mike Stebbins could often be found wearing a Santa suit while he drove the state’s highways as part of the North Dakota Department of Transportation crew.
Yes, he was working – but nobody said he couldn’t add a little extra fun to his job.
“The winter time was the best time for me,” said Mike, as he reminisced about his 30-year career with the DOT, most of which was spent on the Underwood-area crew, covering a 70-mile stretch that goes north and south on ND Highway 83. “I loved fighting Mother Nature, trying to get ahead of her where you can.”
Mike started with the DOT in November 1988, spending about 10 months in McClusky before moving to the Bismarck office, where he stayed for five years before transferring to the Underwood four-man section in September of 1994.
Mike says he’s one of the lucky ones – he really enjoyed his job for all the years he was doing it.
