"Good morning, this is Ron..."

Each morning, between 5:30 and 6:00 AM, I receive a morning ‘wake up’ call from the Assistant Director and morning shift manager of AU’s Audio and Video Systems and Services Group, which is part of the Center for Teaching Excellence. Occasionally, I have left for tennis or am sleeping in (particularly after nights with fire alarm evacuations) but sometimes Ron and I will have a short conversation, after he brief’s me on the days activities. For example this morning there were 181 jobs – classes requiring AV support – plus about fifteen special events, that began at 7:30 in the morning and continued until after 11:00 in the evening (Midnight movies.”

Ron leaves his home at about 4 AM each morning in order to arrive on campus by 5:15. This gives him time to organize the day’s work and to assign staff. If staff members are sick, he can bring in part-timers or fill in the gaps himself. Ron will normally remain on the job until after lunch, and sometimes later if there are meetings to attend or emergencies to be dealt with. He has been fulfilling these responsibilities for 25 years. This dedication makes him – truly – one of AU’s unsung heroes.