Famous Local Electrician Inspires Nashoba Valley Tech Students

WESTFORD, MA — One instructor at Nashoba Valley Technical High School has been on a mission to show students that electricians can make a difference in people’s lives.

Late last week the school hammered that idea home with a visit from a local celebrity.

Robert Baker, a master electrician and Electrical Technology instructor at Nashoba, reached out to Woburn Electrician John Kinney — known for his Gloria's Gladiators charity —to see if he would come to Nashoba Tech to talk to the students.

On Feb. 26, Kinney found himself standing in the middle of the school gym, telling his story to students and taking questions, inspiring students, and in the process becoming inspired himself.

Kinney became known across the state and beyond after he was called to the Woburn home of an elderly woman for what he thought would be a simple repair.

When Kinney saw the state of the woman’s home, he jumped into action, raising more than $100,000 and recruiting friends and volunteers to do repairs, essentially renovating the home, for free.

As news spread of Kinney’s good deed, his volunteer group of tradesmen received even more support from the community and adopted the name Gloria’s Gladiators. Kinney went on to receive the 2020 Humanitarian Award from the Woburn Business Association and the 2020 Klein Tools Electrician of the Year from the national tool company based in Illinois.

“This was the first time I’ve done something like this,” said Kinney, 37, who owns Kinney Electric in Woburn.

And talking to the students, he said, has inspired him, as much as his visit may have inspired them.

“I want to keep going with it. This was a lot of fun," he said. "They’ve got some good students here. They asked a lot of good questions."

Kinney said he was happy to see how many students at Nashoba Tech are considering entering the electrical field.

“Every year, for 10 electricians retiring, only seven are coming in to replace them,” he said. “We need these kids.”

The students got it. They understood that what Kinney had done for one elderly woman was, perhaps, a small deed, but one that affected many, Baker said.

“The kids were really engaged,” Baker said. “None of the kids were on their phones, a lot of them asked questions. Here was a person who happens to be an electrician, and he helps people all the time in the trade.”