There are those people that enter and exit your life without leaving a trace. Alex Kovaleff was not one of those people. I worked for Alex for nearly nineteen years. He was demanding but understanding, hard-working and eager to share the credit with those who had earned it. Alex was honest, fair and very down-to-Earth. But also he could be very fun loving with his colorful story telling. Alex took a leap of faith promoting me to a position for which I was not trained, and it changed my life. He would have been my all time favorite boss before that, but that really sealed it! And my heart goes out to Gladys, Toby, Kirk, and Mike and their families.

Alex was a giant in the industry, a great mentor and an outstanding human being; it’s truly an honor to have known him as a boss and as a friend for nearly thirty years. Alex was always a pleasure to converse with; he would gladly discuss anything from business practices, compressors, hot rods, airplanes or motorcycles; you could learn volumes from his vast experience and perspective. Alex had a way of bringing out the best in whoever he came in contact with, and will be sorely missed by many here, but happily greeted by those who’ve preceded him on his next journey.

My wife Janet and I have been friends with Alex (Bunky) and Glady (Hop Sing) for about 25 years. Bunky has been the best friend a person could ask for from the moment I met him. He had "integrity" in every way. He never had a bad word to say about anyone. He was a pleasure to talk to and he and I never ran out of conversation. I have a technical/mechanical/nerd background and Bunky was one of the few people I felt close to that understood what I was talking about and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing him describe some of the many incredible projects he worked. He had a brilliant mind and unbelievable technical skills to make things and build things and obviously repair things. Through thick and thin he was always available and accessible. We loved spending time with them in Yucca Valley and one time were fortunate enough to have a friend fly Hop Sing in a Piper Comanche right over their property on a beautiful day where the Caboose and rest of the house and property stood out dramatically. Even though we lived about 30 miles apart, we regularly met them for dinner at their favorite Mexican restaurant in Desert Hot Springs and never ran out of wonderful conversation. We loved Bunky and we love Hop Sing and will miss him dearly but will keep him alive through our great friendship with Hop Sing.

Early in my Millwright career Alex saw something in me that I didn't see for myself. He helped to instill a sort of confidence that I needed to develop. Not that I had to know everything about being a Millwright/Mechanic. It was about using my resources to get answer on a problem and then confidently applying that to the job at hand. And as most know, Alex was a terrific resource mechanically and available always to mentor. I'll always be thankful for that.