Electricity plays a big part in most of our lives, but for Keith Arntsen it has become a lifelong friend. An electrician on the St. Paul Campus for the past 12 years,Arntsen has worked with electricity for more than 40 years, almost as long as his 41-year marriage to his wife Sandy.
Arntsen began studying electronics at Minneapolis
Vocational School after graduating from Minneapolis Central High School in 1965. The next few years he worked for Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Control Data in Minneapolis before going back to school at Dunwoody Institute in 1969.
After learning the electrical trade at Dunwoody, Arntsen landed an apprenticeship through the union. He apprenticed for three years and then worked for various contractors in the Twin Cities for several more years. In 1976 he began teaching electricity and electronics at the Minneapolis Electrical Training Center.
As an educator, Arntsen believes there are a lot of misconceptions about electricity. “Most people think of electricity as being scary and hazardous,” said Arntsen. “It’s really not … if you understand the nature of the beast. It’s like driving a car. It can be very hazardous if you don’t drive safely.”
Arntsen spent 20 years teaching the electrical trade before returning to the field as an electrician at the U of M in 1996. The agricultural aspect of the St. Paul campus made a big impression on Arntsen. Growing up a city boy in Minneapolis, he always wanted to spend time on a farm, so he jumped at the chance to work at the “Moo-U.”
Arntsen also enjoys the variety of work at the U. “I can’t imagine a place that would have more variety,” he said. “You have everything here, from apples to zebras.”
Arntsen has three sons, two granddaughters and a grandson and enjoys taking the grandchildren to Como Zoo and treating them to ice cream.
An avid pilot, Arntsen owns a Mooney M20E single engine 4-passenger airplane. He has flown to Alaska, Prince Edward Island (in Eastern Canada) and the Bahamas, among other places. He also enjoys motorcycling, boating and riding his bicycle to work.
Whether flying an airplane, fixing an air conditioner or teaching students, Keith Arnsten has made electricity into a friend, rather than a foe.
