March 23, 2010 issue

I became a plumber at 13, working beside my father in our Detroit neighborhood. At that age, things stick in your head and you always remember them. I was fortunate to have someone teaching me back then, and those skills have helped me get to where I am today at Eastern Michigan University.

I've worked at Eastern for 32 years and I really enjoy it. At first, the job seemed like the perfect opportunity for my family; I would work in the Physical Plant and my children would have an opportunity to study at the University. Since then, Eastern has always seemed to come through for me, and I'm proud to work here every day.

Currently, I am the plumbing supervisor in the physical plant, where my crew and I are responsible for maintaining 130 buildings and more than 3 ½ miles of plumbing in underground tunnels on campus. When something starts leaking at 1 a.m., we're the ones answering the call. It's never boring working here.

What I really like about Eastern are the people. We've had some student plumbers work with us, and it's nice to see them grow. They're learning skills to make them more versatile when they go out for a job. My crew is great as well. We work together every day, and there's a real camaraderie. And, when I'm not in the office, I meet some of the most interesting people when I check out assignments on campus.

Eastern has seen me go from a rowdy young guy when they first hired me to now, adult and all grown up. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with an energetic and knowledgeable group of people at the Physical Plant and interact with the many students and staff on campus. I really like working here, and I'm thankful for the opportunity. — contributed by Alyssa Eckles

 

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