Then & Now: Trailblazers Meet the Next Generation: Joan Bolebruch Zopp (TO ’57)

By Elisabeth Costanzo Stewart

Beginnings 

Joan Bolebruch Zopp (TO ’57) is a lifelong resident of the Village of Johnson City, NY, where her family lineage dates back to the early 1900s. Born in 1937 to parents who met at the C. Fred Johnson Carousel, she came of age in the WW2 era, when Harry L. Drive was known as Maple Street, and was filled with apple orchards, not shopping centers. 

As part of a small, but mighty group of “north siders,” Zopp thrived socially and academically at JCHS. Inspired by IBM’s technological boom, she asked to enroll in a mechanical drawing elective. Though technically deemed a “boys’ class,” her teacher was willing to vouch for her before the high school’s administration. After excelling in the course and graduating with honors, Zopp was ready to tackle bigger and better challenges.

Why Broome Tech? 

There was never a question of whether Zopp would go to college. Broome County Technical Institute was founded when she was a little girl, and with tuition at just $350 a year, she could self-fund her education by working part-time.

“After working for IBM, my father owned and operated Bolebruch’s Hotel on Clinton Street,” Zopp reflected. “I cleaned the guest rooms, waitressed, and tended the bar to cover the cost of my tuition and books.” 

 

“Joanny’s” Broome Tech Story 

Hoping to continue the momentum of her high school mechanical drawing class, Zopp planned to study Electrical Technology: A.A.S. (ET) in college. But when she tried to register for classes, she was informed that women were not permitted to enter the ET program. Disappointed, she pivoted to the technical office assistant program, with a caveat offer. If she promised not to be a disruption, she could sit in the back of the electrical technology classes and quietly listen in. 

Between classes in technical shorthand, transcription, and typewriting, Zopp would slip into the back of electrical circuits lectures, in a room full of Korean War veterans studying on the GI Bill. Circuits came instinctively to Zopp, and she could visualize the electrical connections with ease. Though technically not earning college credit, she banked each morsel of information to apply to her future career. 

“I harbored no ill feelings toward the College. Life was just different for women in the ’50s,” Zopp explained. “I enjoyed being in classes with the veterans. I was quiet and shy, and they were a bit older, many having wives and families. Our classes were spread all over downtown Binghamton, so a veteran from Endicott often drove a few of us to and from campus.”

Though a woman officially studying electrical technology was a no-go in 1957, Broome Tech soon saw the need to change. By the time Zopp’s younger sister, Barbara Bolebruch Eckenrode (MT ’62) arrived on campus just four years later, she was happily welcomed to pursue a degree in Mechanical Technology: A.A.S. (Now in her 80s, Eckenrode still works for McIntosh.)

Women in Engineering – 1960s-2000s 

After graduating from Broome Tech in 1957, Zopp began her career as a detailer at the Ansco Camera Factory. She earned $80 a week, while her male colleague earned $100 doing the same job. While she enjoyed her work, her presence on the plant’s floor was not always appreciated. When a new manager realized, in horror, that a woman was working in place of a man, Zopp decided to move on.

Zopp next went to IBM during the height of the rollout of the Standard Modular System circuit cards (SMS). She became instrumental as a “jack of all trades” thanks to her aptitude for circuitry and ferocious work ethic. Her colleagues and superiors didn’t mind when she married in 1959, but the arrival of her first child the following year was another story. Unable to embrace the concept of a working mother, IBM claimed that there was a “lack of work” for Zopp following her brief maternity leave. 

Broome County’s heyday status as a hub for industry and technology meant that subcontractor projects were plentiful. Zopp spent the 60s and 70s working for every major IMB subcontractor in the region, recruited for her ability to design printed circuits. While working for General Electric (what would eventually become Lockheed Martin) in the late 1970s, she coordinated  Engineering Change Notices (ECNs) to prevent comprehensive line shutdowns. Per policy, she would sign each ECN “J.Zopp” to approve the updated plan. 

“I was signing notices right before a meeting when a man walked in and looked over my shoulder. ‘J.Zopp! You’re a woman?” Zopp laughed. “I told him, ‘I always have been!'”

After nearly 40 years in industry, Zopp retired from Lockheed Martin in 1999 to help her husband, Larry, operate Zopp’s Lounge. After Larry passed away in 2006, she spent a year crocheting  blankets before her daughter insisted that she find a new purpose. This purpose came via a food service helper position with the district she’s a product of, where she’s been nourishing the youngest generation of Johnson City students since 2008. She is mother to three, grandmother to six, and great-grandmother to seven!

Joan’s Advice for Women in Engineering

“I genuinely enjoyed my work, and I hope you will too. Always be positive, think before you speak, and don’t be afraid to grab the brass ring.”

Read more inspiring stories in the Fall 2025 edition of BROOME Magazine: bit.ly/broomefl2025

Tags: Alumni, Electrical Engineering Technology AAS, Profile, STEM Division, Student Profile