Don Fronk, our very own Occupational Safety and Environmental Health Specialist shared his work experience and discussed what it's like to live and work safely. 

Facilities Supervisor Jeremy Smith brought his son Caleb. "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day" is part of a national effort to allow girls and boys to see their potential and discover the many career possibilities available.

Chuck Coder has worked for Penn State for 31 years. He pulls into the parking lot every day at 5:50 a.m. His equipment assortment can be anything from scaffolds to ladders to a high-reach or a step-ladder and sundry items such as rollers, brushes, spray equipment, and drop cloths. Chuck has painted everything from the President's office in Old Main to the bathrooms in OPP. 

"When they hired Joab Thomas, he met us in his office. President Thomas was a very nice guy. Bryce Jordan came in while we were painting his office, too. We do all the work in the executive offices on weekends or off hours to not interfere with meetings. 

President Jordan showed up on a Saturday morning in blue jeans and a flannel shirt and helped us move rolls of carpet and offered to help us paint, but he said he wasn't very good at it. We told him that's OK, we'll take care of the painting."  

The Early Years

Chuck graduated from the Bellefonte High School and the Centre County Vo-Tech where he took painting and decorating. "In those days, the University paid $2.65 an hour, but I could drive trucks for $6 an hour. Eventually I figured out that retirement and health benefits were important, so I came to work for Penn State. The first day I was here I realized this is the place I wanted to retire from!"    

"Gabby Garbrick was the manager back then, and his first question in the interview was 'Are you color-blind?' OPP once had a painter who was color-blind. That makes it tough, especially when mixing colors!" 

Stuck to the Wall

There is something about a fresh paint sign that makes people want to touch a wall. They apparently want to see if the sign is lying and then they end up with a hand-full of paint. "I once had a supervisor in Reno who could not stop leaning on painted walls. Wherever you were at, he'd come and lean and then you'd hear '*&%$!' It wasn't just students who got stuck to walls, it was supervisors, too."

Fires & Flowers

Years ago, OPP painters used heat guns to take the old paint off windows. On a job at University House one of the wage payroll workers yelled that smoke was rolling out of the soffit. Chuck looked up, got a fire extinguisher and tried to put it out. He called the Service Desk and was told that all the bosses were in a meeting and couldn't be disturbed. Chuck said, "Then you had better call the fire department!"

"The bosses showed up in four minutes flat. Turned out that the building was insulated with old newspapers and that's what caught fire. Fortunately there wasn't much damage and no one was hurt. Painters no longer use heat guns to remove old paint."

Chuck has met a lot of interesting people in his job. One of Chuck's faculty customers just passed away, only a few weeks shy of 105. She graduated from high school in 1922 and used to tell Chuck stories of how the campus used to look when she was a kid. "She called the Old Botany Building flower heaven. There were flowers everywhere ,and back then most planting was done by students." Today all outside painting is done in a camisole silk color except for Old Botany which historically had burgundy trim.

Old Dogs & New Tricks

Chuck Coder considers himself to be anti-electronic. He says, "if you have a problem with anything electronic from cell phones to computer, just find the closest 8-year-old and they will fix it. I've been blessed down at the Fox Hollow Building. We have Jackie Lyons, our staff assistant, and she is very good. If it weren't for her I'd be sitting with a blank look staring at an empty screen."

Chuck is soon approaching retirement, but he is proud to have served the University. "Penn State has been good to me...I mean it's been a great place." Chuck's son Jim is working on his Ph.D. in the Penn State Aerospace major. He had an internship with both Boeing and NASA and this summer has a fellowship with the Department of Defense. His Daughter-in-law is Shauna Nevel at the OPP Service Desk.  

Chuck thinks the qualities of a great painter are pride in the work, being someone who cares, and having excellent hand/eye coordination. 

"My final bit of advice is, don't become a painter if you're color blind!"