“Unsung Heroes” bring sparkle to campus

By Michelle Tyler
Pulse Staff Reporter

Many employees at Palo Alto are not professors, presidents or even vice presidents of anything, but they are often the glue that holds the campus together.

These people are the housekeeping, groundskeeping, maintenance and cafeteria workers, as well as the campus’ administrative assistants. They may not teach a class or decide who gets what piece of the budget’s pie, but they are still a very important part of Palo Alto’s success.

Edward Galvan is a member of the Housekeeping Department at Palo Alto. His job includes keeping up with the bathrooms and offices in the Ozuna Learning Resource Center. Galvan works the first shift from six to three. The second shift works from three to eleven.

“We maintain offices and restrooms during the day, and whatever functions we need to get ready for. The second shift maintains the classrooms and bathrooms in the evenings,” said Galvan.

Galvan said that he enjoys working at Palo Alto and that most students and faculty help keep the campus as clean as possible. He also said that even though his job is not the best paying, it has a really good benefits plan. He needs this because he has a wife and four children who rely on him.

Galvan was named employee of the year in 1999, and he has been working at Palo Alto for seven years. All in all, he has worked for the Alamo Community College District for 12 years.

Don Davila is in the Maintenance Department. His job includes a wide variety of things. He patches roofs, plumbs, works on electricity, changes lights, helps the carpenters and whatever else is asked of him.

“We take walls down. Sometimes we make a storage room into an office because we are always running out of space,” said Davila.
Davila also worked on converting the old library into what is now the Palomino Center. He has been at Palo Alto for three years. Davila lives so close to the school that when there is an emergency, he can be here in just a few minutes.

“One time, someone broke a window at the Natatorium and within an hour I had already put a board in the window and cleaned up the glass,” said Davila. Davila is married and has two children. During the summer he brings his kids here for some of the special events that go on.

Lupe Casillas is a 64-year-old man with a wife and two grown children. He is just one of the many workers at Palo Alto who takes care of the grounds. His job is to cut grass, trim weeds and work on landscaping. He has been working at Palo Alto for five years.

“I have enjoyed working here because there are good people here,” said Casillas. “We help everyone. Whenever someone needs help, we step in.”

Casillas’ age played a large role in his getting a job. He was 59 at the time and had a hard time finding a job.

“It took me a year to find a job. I put applications in here and there and nobody ever called. When I heard about the job here, I put in my application and they called me back. I really appreciated that,” said Casillas.

The man who is in charge of Galvan, Davila and Casillas’ departments is Robert Triana, the Facilities Superintendent. He has been working for Palo Alto for 11 years, and he has been with the district for 31 years. He originally started as a plumber at San Antonio College, and he worked his way up. Triana is very proud of his workers.

“If it weren’t for them, this place would not run,” said Triana. “I have a great bunch of people. I would put my people against anyone. They are great.”

Steve Boyd is another person who deserves credit. He may not work outside, but he still plays an important role. Boyd is the grill cook in the cafeteria. He is the one who cooks most of the breakfasts, hamburgers, grilled cheeses and much more. Although the cafeteria is contracted from Custom Foods by Palo Alto, Boyd still strives to do his job the best he can.

Boyd is the grill cook from 6:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. He said his busiest time of the day is the morning. Boyd, as well as the other workers in the kitchen, deserve credit for preparing and serving the food at Palo Alto.

“Steve does his job really well,” said Mary Lou Mendoza, a sophomore Nutrition major. “He is quick, prompt and often remembers what you usually order.”

Delia Muraira is the Senior Secretary to the Director of Enrollment Management at Palo Alto. She was the employee of the month for both Palo Alto and the district in November 2002. Her job is to help oversee the clerical staff, Veterans Affairs Office and Assessment and TASP Office.

Muraira said that shehas always enjoyed helping people, which is the favorite part of her job.

“When I am here and working with people, I always try to have ways to make things go smoother,” said Muraira. “My favorite people to work with are the students.”

Muraira was completely surprised to be awarded employee of the month. She really did not expect anything in return for what she had done.

“When you do something for someone else, you don’t always expect something in return. I was taught that as a child,” said Muraira.

Their contributions to students’ success may not be as obvious as a professor’s, but Galvan, Davila, Casillas, Boyd and Muraira represent all the staff members who help hold this campus together.