Pride in Workmanship

Each summer, when my alarm doesn’t roust me at 6 a.m., I make it a point to stop by the campus at random times, just to catch up with friends – some old, some new – and see what they’ve been up to.

 

Invariably, our conversations are enjoyable and heartening, and they often give me a glimpse into what occurs behind the scenes, usually when few are looking, as my colleagues go about the myriad tasks that make the school run efficiently.

 

My first stop on this fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk Tuesday afternoon was the physical plant headquarters on the North Mooreland Road campus.

 

There, I found a smiling, sweating George Cooke, wrench and lug nuts in hand, preparing to mount brand new tires on two Toro lawn mowers. A guy from Colony Tire had just delivered them to replace old ones that had little-to-no tread remaining.

 

Turns out George had just returned from vacation, actually a “staycation.” He spent much of the time around the house with friends and family including 10 grandchildren, ages newborn to 12.

 

They kept you hopping. Right? I said.

 

“Yes, they did,” he replied. “It was a really good vacation.”

 

Other than changing Toro tires, what have you been up to since you got back? I asked.

 

“Just cutting grass and keeping things straight and looking good,” he said with a smile and two thumbs up.

 

A moment later, Thomas Jones, an HVAC technician, pulled his truck into the lot.

 

How’s your day going? I inquired.

 

“Today, I’ve been working on the business office,” he said. “A fan motor for a heat pump went bad last week, so we had to order a new motor. It came in yesterday. I put it on, but it was bad. You can imagine how frustrating that was. Came in this morning, and the motor was gone. I had to overnight another motor.”

 

Thankfully, the downstairs AC in the business office was cranking cold air, and fans and a spot cooler were keeping the second story bearable.

 

“Tomorrow, I’ll be back at it again,” he said. “It’ll be fixed in the morning.”

 

As I headed south along the sidewalk beside the physical plant office, I passed Leon Brown, who greeted me with his ever-present smile.

 

“What’s happening?” I said.

 

“Not a whole lot,” he replied, which, translated, means he’s been really busy. He went on to explain that he’d been painting classrooms in the Lower School, which mainly involves cutting in and rolling walls.

 

Painting is an acquired taste, I offered. Not everybody can do it. Do you listen to the radio or anything to pass the time?

 

“I don’t,” he said, “but I don’t think about it when I’m doing it. I pay attention, but I don’t think about it.”

What do you think about? I asked.

 

“Different things,” he said. “Sometimes, I’ve got music in my head. Sometimes, I think about what I’m going to do when I get off. It keeps me going.”

 

Good summer so far? I said.

 

“Hot,” he replied, “but good.”

 

I next ventured into Luck Hall, the Kindergarten building, where I ran into Brenda Jones, Thomas’s wife and a longtime member of the housekeeping staff.

The place is pretty quiet, I said. What are you doing to keep busy?

 

“Detailing my building,” she said. “Washing down the walls. Cleaning the desks and chairs. There’re not as many kids, but there’s still work to do. You can get around and do things much easier.”

 

Knowing you, I said, I bet you’ll be happy to see the young ones return.

 

“I love children,” she said. “I miss them when they’re gone … and the teachers.”

 

On the way back toward the bridge across the creek, I encountered Wilbur Athey, Collegiate’s special events and projects supervisor.

 

Easy summer? I said. He just laughed.

 

“Moved everything out of the development office for their renovation and into Flippen Hall,” he said. “We’ll move them back when their building is ready. We’re also preparing for outside rentals, and we have a bunch of Summer Quest things going on.”

 

 

“Between now and the end of the month, we kind of slow down,” he said. “Then we pick back up, getting ready for the kids and teachers, and don’t slow down again for a long time.”

 

My last stop before heading to my car was Jacobs Gym, where I checked out the floor refinishing that was well underway.

 

Sam Crawley, who with Stephen Giggetts, Michael Robinson and Maurice Johnson were doing the honors, explained that they were a week into the tedious task of stripping the old layer of varnish, sanding and reapplying a new coating but were actually having a very good time.

 

“Working with these guys … it’s great,” Crawley said. “It’s the way we get along. It’s work, but it’s all fun. It (the camaraderie) makes the day go by faster. It makes the job easier.”

 

I can only imagine the feeling when you see the finished product, I said.

 

“It’s a great feeling of pride,” he said. “And these guys … they have plenty of that.”

    -- Weldon Bradshaw