Who’s Uncle Phil?

Phillip J. Dukes was my uncle. My Mom’s sister’s husband. A good man.

He grew up in Boulder CO and sustained his love for the mountains and trout fly fishing throughout his life. He was a World War II veteran in the 12th Armored Division and served overseas in Europe. Epon his return, he attended UC Boulder where he met and married my Aunt Marion who also attended college in Colorado.

Uncle Phil was a Mechanical Engineer and his first job returned him to the midwest where he worked for over 47 years (!) in the steel industry and retired from LaSalle Steel in Hammond, Indiana. He retired early on in my life but how I knew him most was his extraordinary skills with woodworking. His home was filled with his beautiful hand-made desks, dressers, rocking chairs, stereo speakers and tables.

He also built his own flying radio-controlled model airplanes where he would climb Mount Baldy Beach at Indiana Dunes National Park and throw the things off the top and then fly them on the way down. Amazing to watch when I was a kid.

As he got a little older, and I started helping friends with their home and car stereos as well as their first computers (Gateway! Packard Bell! IBM clicky keyboards!), I would offer to help him with his PC during the family get togethers. Always happy to do so as it helped him and Aunt Marion while also providing me an opportunity to advance my own skills.

Over time, it became a running family joke that I was ‘Uncle Phil’s Tech Support.’ So when I decided to start this business, helping others as I’d helped him, I thought it would be the perfect name to honor him, as well as convey the family and elder care technical support I offer.