Joseph Massey Jr., 55 years

Joseph is a Voice Systems Architect within the Office of Information Technology.

Tell us about your career at Emory.

As a Georgia Tech student, I worked part-time as a Telephone Switchboard Operator at Crawford Long Hospital, now Emory University Hospital Midtown (EUHM). For my senior design project, I uncovered a $10,000 annual billing error from Southern Bell and successfully challenged it with the Georgia Public Service Commission, which mandated a billing revision for Emory and other hospitals statewide.

I then designed the phone system for the EUHM Peachtree Street addition, creating a tie-line network that connected Emory University, The Emory Clinic, Crawford Long Hospital, and Grady Memorial Hospital, allowing for extension-to-extension dialing. I also implemented a centralized long-distance calling system using WATS lines, reducing costs significantly, and developed a radio paging system for healthcare staff and university users.

Over the years, I transitioned various telephone systems from electro-mechanical to computerized, culminating in the consolidation into the current Enterprise Avaya IP telephone system. I also designed all low-voltage systems for the EUHM redevelopment, including telephone, data, fire alarm, nurse call, intercom, and loudspeaker paging systems.

As the most tenured staff employee at Emory, Joseph's dedication and experience have been invaluable to the community.

What are some of your favorite Emory memories?

All my favorite memories of my time at Emory include the wonderful people I have worked with over the last 55 years.

What are some of the most significant changes you've witnessed?

Watching the progression of telephone technology from mechanical switching to IP Telephony has been one of the most significant changes I've witnessed in my career.

Joseph at the 1973 Telephone System Switching Center in the Peachtree Building, his Georgia Tech Industrial Engineering project.

What do you miss from “back in the day”?

I really miss working with Cord Switchboards; they were the original video game.

What do you hope for the future of Emory?

I hope that the staff I have trained and developed through the years will be able to adequately carry on after I retire.