History
Timeline
1907
Foresthill Telepone Co. Founded by two local brothers
1911
Kerman Telephone Co. Founded
1915 - December
William "Bill" George Sebastian born, Aurora, IL. The seventh son of a seventh son – a sign of good luck in his family's German cultural heritage.
1930
"Bill" Sebastian and his brother moved to California from Illinois
Early 1930s
Matthew C. Langstaff reacquired Foresthill Telephone Co.
1939
"Bill" Sebastian marries Katey Ball in Whittier, CA
1940
"Bill" Sebastian hired at Consolidated Telephone Company in Whittier, CA
1946 – June
"Bill" and Katey Sebastian purchase Kerman Telephone Co. for $40,000
1946 – July
Kerman incorporated as a town
1943
Miss Ida Lockhart pruchased Foresthill Telephone Co. for $350
1946 – October
First Kerman Telephone Co. hired Harry "Bud" Ball, Katey's brother
1946 – December
490 phones in service; six employees
1948 – August
Common battery switchboard installed and dial phones added, which eliminated hand cranks
1948 – October
First PBX business telephone system installed at Farr-Wilson Motor Co., a local Ford dealership
1949 – April
Kerman Telephone Co. moves to new building at 783 S. Madera Avenue
1949 - July
Ralph Hoeper purchased a half share of Foresthill Telephone Co. for $5,000
1950 – August
830 customers; eight employees at Kerman Telephone Co.
1954 - January
Ralph Hoeper becomes the sole proprietor of Foresthill Telephone Co.
1956
18 employees at Kerman Telephone Co.
1957 - December
Foresthill Telephone Co. became a Community Dial Office with no local telephone operators.
1958
Kerman becomes only the second small town west of the Mississippi River to have direct dialing to the entire United States
1960
"Bill" Sebastian develops a vehicle-to-phone car radio service – long before the advent of cellular phone technology
1969 – March
3,100 customers; 34 employees at Kerman Telephone Co.
1970
"Bill" is elected to Kerman City Council
1971
"Bill" is elected Mayor of Kerman
1971
Silver Anniversary of "Bill" and Katey's ownership of Kerman Telephone Co.
1971
Transition to underground cable
1973 – December
9-1-1 service implemented
1974 – February
Touch-tone service launched. Mrs. "Bill" Slentz is the first customer
1976 – January
Fresno numbers added to Kerman phonebook
1977
42 employees at Kerman Telephone Co.
1982
Kerman Telephone Co. purchases new building at 759 South Madera Avenue
1987
Kerman Telephone Co.'s first employee, Harry "Bud" Ball retires after 41 years of service
1994 – October
5,000 customers at Kerman Telephone Co.
1999 – December
Kerman Telephone expands to new location at 811 South Madera Avenue
2003
Kerman Telephone Co. launches the Kerman Community Literacy Program
2005
Rose Hoeper, widow of Ralph, accepted offer from Sebastian family to purchase Foresthill Telephone Co.