Campus & community, Campus news

Looking down on Berkeley’s campus

Local steeplejack checks in at the top of the 307-foot Campanile

By Public Affairs

two people work on top of the tower — Jim Phelan, left, works with his son, Kells, at the top of the Campanile. (Photo courtesy Jim Phelan)

August 6, 2019

two men work on the tower while a falcon swoops by — Jim Phelan, left, works with his son, Kells, on the top of the Campanile while the tower's resident falcons swoop by. (UC Berkeley photo by Violet Carter)

a young man smiles at the camera — Kells Phelan is a fourth-generation steeplejack. (UC Berkeley photo by Violet Carter)

a man examines equipment in a small space — Jim Phelan prepares to climb out over the edge of the Campanile. (UC Berkeley photo by Violet Carter)

a photo of a newspaper article — A 1977 article from the Oakland Tribune showing Jim Phelan working on the Campanile. (Photo courtesy Jim Phelan)

a man hangs off the side of the bell tower — Jim Phelan returns to the Campanile every few years. (UC Berkeley photo by Violet Carter)

a man takes a photo at the top of the bell tower — Jim Phelan climbs to 307-foot top of the Campanile. (Photo courtesy Jim Phelan)

two men stand on the top of the bell tower — Jim Phelan, left, works with his son, Kells, on the top of the Campanile. (UC Berkeley photo by Violet Carter)

Jim Phelan spent Friday swinging from the Campanile, dodging concerned falcons, checking light bulbs and making sure the clock gets students to class on time.

Phelan is a steeplejack, hired every few years by the campus to service the highest parts of 307-foot Sather Tower, the third tallest bell-and-clock-tower in the world. He also climbs on sky-scraping flagpoles and antennas across the Bay Area.

His father, Jim Phelan Sr., was a steeplejack for more than 50 years. His grandfather, John Phelan, began steeplejacking in Waterford, Ireland, before moving to Northampton, Mass. Jim Phelan’s son, Kells, joined him last week on the Campanile.

Phelan has been working on the Campanile for decades, but that’s not his only connection to Berkeley. His wife, Christina Sponselli, is the director of social media for Berkeley’s fundraising efforts at University Development and Alumni Relations.

“It’s kind of neat walking away from a job,” Phelan told the San Francisco Chronicle in a 2002 profile referencing his work climbing flagpoles at the top of skyscrapers. “Some of these flags are 20 or 30 feet. You can drive 5 miles away and still see your work.”