-
Pablo Melendres at work, welding
When Pablo Melendres was growing up in Dublin, his father, Lolo Salinas, encouraged him to become a welder. “He said it was a good honest living,” Melendres said.
Now, more than 20 years later, Melendres is a career welder. Melendres’ father, however, passed away in 2003. “My dad didn’t get to see me do what I’m doing now,” he said. “But he told me to get into it, and I’m reminded all the time.”
Melendres took his first welding job when he was in high school, helping out some family friends during the summer who worked for Heartland Drilling, a company based out of Abilene that contracts out workers to do different jobs on oil rigs.
He graduated from Dublin in 2001, and afterwards he continued to work at Heartland. “I was a helper for three years,” he said. “I learned how to fabricate and build, and things of that nature. There’s an art to it.”
He finally became a fulltime welder in 2005. He branched out to work for other drilling companies, including UDI and MacVay, and traveled all over South Texas, from Gonzalez to Pearsall to Shiner.
In 2008 he got into pipeline work, and contracted with companies including Hoot Johnson and Bottomline, working mostly on oil and gas projects all over Texas and into New Mexico.
Since 2019, Melendres has been welding pipelines for Watkins Construction out of New Mexico. Since the gas lines are often active, welding on them is a dangerous job and requires a lot of care throughout all parts of the job. “They’re gathering lines,” he said. “It could be [anywhere] from a few hundred feet to a hundred miles of pipe, with 40, 60 or 80 foot joints that need to be joined together.” He spends much of his
He spends much of his time away from home, since each job usually lasts a few weeks to a few months. “I stay out of my RV camper, and on the weekends I go home if it’s not too far,” he said.
Melendres plans to stay with his current company for the next few years. Eventually, though, he hopes to find welding work closer to home, so he can spend more time with his family. “Being away from home all the time is hard,” he said. “ I don’t sleep in my bed every day, and miss birthdays and holidays.”
Melendres has four children from a previous marriage. His oldest daughter Alexia is 18 and recently graduated from Dublin High School. His three younger children, Kharizma, 16, Pablo, 15, and Nathaniel, 13, go to Dublin schools. His mother, Gracie Salinas, still lives in Dublin as well.
Throughout his career, Melendres has been grateful for all the help his mother has given him while he’s out on the road, as well as the intial push his father gave him to start welding. Even off work, he enjoys the challenge of trying new projects. One of his favorite things to make is welded beds on pick-up trucks. “You start from scratch, and then with the finished product you can stand back and see what your mind and your hands can do,” he said.
Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@dublincitizen.com.