Filling in pieces of the puzzle

Photo by Michael Woodward, Reporter

PREPARING FOR TAKEOFF — Dennis O’Lea hopes to fly his 1946 Cessna-140 this summer. He’s restoring it to its original configuration, instrument panel and all.

Since 1998, the wood shop at West Valley High School has been in the capable hands of a pilot, finish carpenter, general contractor, kitchen designer, architect and Model-T rebuilder. Of course, he has his industrial arts and a teaching degree, too. Dennis O’Lea brings all this experience to his shop classes and he hopes to pass on all of it.

As a child, O’Lea built things out of wood whenever he visited his grandfather’s shop. Before he was old enough to go to kindergarten he was building model airplanes.

By the time he graduated high school in Los Angeles, he rebuilt a 1916 Model-T into a hot rod and took it to the prom. That same hot rod was used in the November 2006 production of “Grease” by West Valley and Anderson Union High Schools.

He enjoyed working with electronics and went into the Air Force and worked in the motor pool. He came out of the military as a good auto mechanic.

While working as a general contractor, O’Lea discovered his calling as a teacher. He noticed how few workers coming into construction really knew the trade and how difficult it was for a person to receive training.

“Stratovarius built the best violins the world has ever seen,” O’Lea said. “Nobody knows how he did it since he took those secrets to the grave. I don’t claim to be a Stratovarius, but I want these kids to know everything I know and more. Society suffers when knowledge isn’t shared.”

At West Valley, O’Lea teaches two wood shop courses: Architectural Design and a drafting course that counts for college credit. He teaches the same material to students at Shasta College enrolled in

Some senior projects underway in his shop include two sailboats, two hope chests, the backdrops for the set of “Grease,” and the refurbishing of the trailer that serves as the concession stand at football games.

O’Lea discussed problem solving in shop. He said that students tend to get frustrated when their work doesn’t turn out as they expected.

“I tell them that this is their first time doing something that I’ve done since kindergarten. So they know I’m not expecting them to work at a top level here,” O’Lea said. “That usually calms them down.”

“When a kid is stumped and you can give him that one key piece of advice, that young person’s eyes light up,” he said. “With that key they can move forward with the project on their own . . . There’s nothing better in life than to provide that missing piece of the puzzle.”

O’Lea’s father, Arthur, now deceased, had worked for Lockheed as a patternmaker and tool designer. Arthur built wooden versions of planes before the real ones were made. He helped with the designs for planes ranging from the P-38 Lightning to the F-117 Stealth Fighter.

With Dennis O’Lea’s 1946 Cessna-140, Arthur restored the wings and the engine.

“I learned how to fly on this. I’m working with a certified mechanic,” O’Lea said. “There’s something you get, a sense of accomplishment, from doing things yourself. Everything I have is because of my hands — the house I live in, my car in high school. When I restore my plane, I know there’s no short cuts. When I’m in the air, I don’t want a wing to fall off because some clown used a hardware bolt instead of an aircraft bolt.”