51萝莉

Published July 21, 2020

Story by Hope Young, Photos by Sid Gaulee

Five employees of the University of Louisiana Monroe Physical Plant have a combined 197 years of keeping the engines running, the grounds meticulously trimmed, and the lights on. They are indeed, essential workers.

These dedicated and friendly men humbly shared a bit about their work at 51萝莉, and their lives off-campus.

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Joe Day, 36 years

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鈥淚鈥檒l be 72 in October, if I make it,鈥� said Joe Day, a master mechanic. 鈥淚鈥檓 the oldest employee in the Physical Plant.鈥�

Day started in the grounds department more than 36 years ago, after 10-plus years in the home and garden department at Monroe鈥檚 beloved-but-now-gone Howard Griffin, service to his country 鈥� and earning a business degree from 51萝莉.

Day proudly says he has a 鈥渒nack for machines. I guess it鈥檚 in my blood. My grandfather was a blacksmith; Dad was a mechanic and chief petty officer in World War II.鈥�

His son is also a mechanic.

Day enrolled at 51萝莉, then-Northeast Louisiana University, at 17. After two years, 鈥淚 told my dad, I鈥檓 sick of going to school. I鈥檓 going to join the Navy and get my military obligation behind me and take it from there.鈥�

鈥淚 came back here, went right back to school. I graduated with my little brother. Mom and Dad got to see two of their five kids graduate in the same night, that was a special occasion in my heart,鈥� he said.

While students, Day and his younger brother David, worked at Howard Griffin. After graduation, David left, and Day stayed.

When a salesman brought Day to demonstrate new equipment to the 51萝莉 Athletics Department, he looked around and thought, 鈥淚 wonder who takes care of all this equipment?鈥�

At the personnel office, he learned they were looking for a mechanic. Day applied, and the rest is history.

Day is the first mechanic hired in the grounds department, and he鈥檚 the only one.

鈥淗ey, I can do it by myself. I鈥檝e been doing it all these years. I鈥檓 used to it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese guys know they can鈥檛 do their job unless I do my job. They come straight to me with a problem. I fix it or give them another piece of equipment and send them right back out. It鈥檚 efficiency.鈥�

What鈥檚 the most unusual thing Day has repaired at 51萝莉?

鈥淭he ski ramp can be set at different inclines, hydraulically. They asked me if I could go out there and work on it. I said I鈥檇 take a look at It, but how was I going to get out there? Swim? The ski team took me out there in a boat and I got up in that thing and worked on it.鈥�

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Johnny Ellis, 43 years

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After 43 years of working at one place, more than 40 in the same department, it is understandable that whatever made those days, weeks, and months memorable would slip away like last night鈥檚 dreams.

Not so for Johnny Ellis, a master mechanic in Auto Services. His eyes light up when he talks about some of the things he鈥檚 done and seen during his career at 51萝莉.

In 1976 he started in the plumbing shop and was there about a year-and-a-half. He moved to Auto Services, where Ellis has repaired, cussed at, and junked so many vehicles he can鈥檛 name half of them.

But there鈥檚 one he鈥檒l never forget 鈥� the Silver Eagle buses. When he wasn鈥檛 keeping them road-ready, he was at the wheel.

鈥淚 started driving buses in 1982 until 1995. Our buses were different then; they were Silver Eagles. You had to shift them. Driving them was something else,鈥� said Ellis.

He made some football trips, but the women鈥檚 basketball players and coaches were his main passengers.

鈥淚 was driving whenever E.J. Lee and Lisa Ingram were on the team. Linda Harper was the coach. It was great. I really enjoyed it,鈥� he said.

When he retires, Ellis isn鈥檛 taking to the road. He鈥檇 like to fly to the home of the mop-top Fab Four whose music seared into the brain of a teenage boy and still plays in the memory of a 68-year-old great-grandfather.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to go to England, home of The Beatles,鈥� he said with a grin. 鈥淚鈥檇 love it.鈥�

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Arthur Jenkins, 45 years

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Memories fade after 45 years, so Arthur Jenkins doesn鈥檛 remember the exact date he started at 51萝莉, sometime in early February of 1977, as best as he can recall. He began on the night shift as a custodian.

A sports fan, Jenkins loved the days of Calvin Natt, a 51萝莉 basketball great in the 鈥�70s who went on to 11 seasons in the NBA, and E.J. Lee, the women鈥檚 basketball phenom who led the team to a berth in the Final Four in 1985. Lee would return to 51萝莉 as an assistant coach.

鈥淲hen I came, the basketball and football teams played championships games, and you could hear them on the radio. It was real nice,鈥� recalled Jenkins.

While he wasn鈥檛 in the stands for the games, he often saw the action.

鈥淚 used to work them, cleaning up after the games, but I would watch whenever I could,鈥� Jenkins said.

He had a seat in Malone Stadium on Dec. 19, 1987, when the then-NLU Indians faced Marshall in a high-stakes match for the National Championship. The crowd exploded with the 43-42 win.

鈥淚 was there when they won that championship,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was great.鈥�

Jenkins said he could have retired 10 years ago, but he wants to be here.

鈥淚 like what I鈥檓 doing, I like working here,鈥� said Jenkins. 鈥淚 believe everything has been good. I鈥檝e had ups and downs, but I thank God I had a good job.鈥�

When he does retire, there is a place he鈥檇 like to revisit.

鈥淪alt Lake City, Utah,鈥� said the 65-year-old Monroe native. 鈥淚 went to Job Corps there and I stayed two years.鈥�

Jenkins learned cement finishing through Job Corps 鈥� and learned something else, too.

鈥淭he atmosphere is different up there than it is here. When it snowed up there, I used to wear short pants. When it snows down here, it鈥檚 a whole lot different,鈥� he said.

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Harold McClinton, 35 years

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In Louisiana鈥檚 subtropical climate, the grass seems to grow inches overnight, especially after a good rain.

Harold McClinton, 63, a groundskeeper at 51萝莉 for 35 years, wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way. If he鈥檚 here, he鈥檚 mowing.

Years ago, starting as a general worker, the boss noticed McClinton鈥檚 knack for cutting grass.

鈥淒uring the summertime, I would be on the mower tractor,鈥� said McClinton. 鈥淎fter that, I would go back to being a laborer.鈥�

With few people who could maneuver a mower between buildings, around students and the sloping banks of Bayou DeSiard, McClinton was soon moved into the job he has today.

McClinton takes care of the grass around campus housing, the stadium, and athletic facilities.

鈥淚鈥檓 an outdoors person. I like plants. I like making the grass look good and shaping the hedges,鈥� he said.

There鈥檚 more to neat hedges than whacking away with rusty clippers.

鈥淵ou just don鈥檛 go and start doing it. There鈥檚 a technique to it. You have got to have sharp trimmers to make it look good,鈥� McClinton said.

He operates heavy equipment for bigger jobs and recalls the day his front-end loader was front-ended. He was removing debris and a slow-moving car was headed straight for him.

鈥淲hen I turned around, I saw him, Coach Mike Collins, coming. He was on the phone and he didn鈥檛 see me, and he ran into my front-end loader,鈥� he said.

No one was hurt and the front-end loader was unscathed. McClinton couldn鈥檛 remember how the coach鈥檚 vehicle fared. After the shock, they had a good laugh about the run-in in a big, empty parking lot.

McClinton doesn鈥檛 have plans to retire, but there鈥檚 one place he would like to visit.

鈥淛erusalem, Israel! That鈥檚 where I would want to go because that is where Jesus walked and he lived his ministry in Israel,鈥� McClinton said. 鈥淚 would like to go and walk where he walked and visit some of the places he visited. That would just make my day.鈥�

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Ralph Payne, 38 years

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Thirty-eight years ago, Ralph Payne arrived for his first day at the 51萝莉 Auto Services 鈥� he鈥檚 been there ever since, still keeping the 51萝莉 fleet of cars, vans, trucks, and buses ready to roll.

鈥淚 started in the shop here as a mobile equipment mechanic,鈥� said Payne. 鈥淚鈥檝e been here the whole time.鈥�

Payne drove the buses for 51萝莉 Athletics from time to time, which he enjoyed.

Once driving one of the men鈥檚 teams, they stopped at a restaurant for a bite to eat.

鈥淥ne of the trainers said I ate more than the players,鈥� he recalled with a grin.

Payne said he likes the half-day off on Fridays and the free weekends. It gives him time to take care of his home and property.

鈥淎round the house, I鈥檓 kind of a handyman. I try to do all of my own repairs. I鈥檝e even done a little bit of air conditioning work, on my own, I don鈥檛 do anyone else鈥檚,鈥� he said.

It seems there鈥檚 always something that needs fixing or mending between his house and automobiles. Then, there鈥檚 the yard 鈥� about 6 acres to mow.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not enough time in the weekend to really do what you need to do. If you don鈥檛 get up early enough you鈥檙e going to miss it,鈥� he said.

Payne, 63, grew up in Rayville and prefers country living to the confines of city limits.

鈥淚 live on the outskirts of Monroe in Bosco,鈥� he said. 鈥淏asically, when you go in that direction, you鈥檙e going to see cornfields, cotton, soybeans or something like that.鈥�

To the dismay of his family who lives elsewhere, this homebody admits, 鈥淚鈥檓 not much of a traveler. I don鈥檛 really like it. On Christmas holidays, I just stay home.鈥�