Campus/Area
Section A·Page 3
Monday October 20,1997
Worker bids farewell after 27 years' service
Kenny Evinger, 62, holds a gift he received at his retirement party Friday at Ekdahl Dining Commons. Evinger retired from the Student Housing Maintenance Landscape Shop after working 27 years, longer than any current employee. Photo by Dave Morantz/KANSAN
Kenny Evinger leaves Housing
By Dave Morantz
Kansan campus editor
Since 1970, Kenny Evinger has come to work at 5:30 a.m. at the Student Housing Maintenance Landscape Shop. Long before the crew clocked in at 7 a.m., Evinger opened the shop's doors and brewed a pot of coffee for his co-workers.
Evinger, 62, and his long, white beard became fixtures at the shop and around campus. Most students who have lived in residence or scholarship halls could not miss him weed-eating or mowing around the halls, idling the motor and pausing his work to allow students to pass by safely.
He retired Friday after 27 years of pushing lawn mowers, raking leaves, shoveling snow and humoring co-workers. The Maintenance Shop had a retirement party in his honor Friday afternoon at Ekdahl Dining Commons.
"I'll probably just do some fishin', watch some TV," Evinner said. "Just enjoy life."
Evinger worked at the maintenance shop longer than any of its more than 50 employees. During that time, he accumulated various nicknames — Boots, Willie, the Old Timer and others unprintable — worked for three supervisors and amazed coworkers with his dedication and unmatched attendance record.
"Any time you lose someone who's been there for 27 years, it's like losing part of the family," said Stan Brown, physical plant supervisor. "You knew if he wasn't there that he was really sick."
Employees are allowed two paid sick days each year. Employees who rarely miss
work accumulate their sick days and receive pay for those days when they retire.
Despite nagging stomach and chest problems, Evinger amassed more than 20 weeks of sick leave
Attendance aside, what coworkers will miss most about Evinger is his humor, they said.
"He was always making cutting up or just making people laugh," said Chris Romero, landscape shop supervisor.
Whether he was teasing a coworker, cussing at the broken equipment or catching his beard on fire when lighting a cigarette, Evinger's presence in the shop guaranteed a laugh and respite from the long work day.
Todd Gleason, landscape shop employee, has worked with Evinger since 1987.
"When I came here, I kind of thought he was an eccentric old guy," he said. "It's going to be tough here without him."
'Night' clouded by comments
Continued from page 1A
"If I can make a public example of them by pointing them out to a group of people, I'll do that," Brown said.
Gamma Phi Beta members could not comment on Thursday's incident because of house policy. Members said that only the sorority's international grand president, who lives in Los Angeles, could answer questions.
Roth said that march organizers planned to meet with the Panhellenic association this week.
"It's really disappointing, but honestly every chapter of a sorority has about 100 members," said Bridget Mason, Fairway senior and vice president of public relations for the Panhellenic association. "Ninety-eight percent of our members are great people with the best intentions."
Breeze Luetke-Stahlman, an event organizer, said that most sorority members acted as
though they wanted to be atne march. They remained at the rally after other members left and did not disrunt the event.
But she said some members had displayed a negative attitude.
"They didn't want to be there because this was a punishment, and they didn't want to enjoy it," she said.
Roth has helped with eight marches, and she said that she had expected negative occurrences in every march. The marchers' highly charged emotional states can produce positive and negative reactions, she said.
"I would never want to exclude groups of women, and I want to work to make sure the circle is safe for every woman," Roth said. "No matter where they're from or what house they're in, they have been victims of violence. They are not immune. It's one of those things people don't want to admit, but it's true."
Actor-activist touts heritage, education
Olmos said it was when groups made the transition from doing positive things to negative things that they were labeled as a gang.
"It's a play on words, and I like it." Olmos said. "Everyone does belong in some kind of gang. The problem is with the difference between groups and gangs."
Olmos said he chose the title of his presentation to put a community perspective on the idea of a gang.
Watkins heals from remodel ready for more ailing'Hawks
"If five kids dressed alike go out to play basketball, then get thirsty and rob a liquor store, when do they become a gang?" Olmos said.
"When they left the house," shouted a person in the audience.
"Exactly," Olmos said. "First and foremost, you love the kids unconditionally. You compliment them when they do something good, and you will have gangs that are doing carwashes instead of robbing liquor stores."
Renovations to reduce patients' waiting time
By Sarah Chadwick
schadwick@kansasan.com
Kansas staff writer
The newly renovated campus health center received its seal of approval Friday.
After two years and $4.5 million of remodeling at Watkins Memorial Health Center, nearly 100 people came to an open house and rededica-
tion ceremony to see the changes.
Many retired Watkins personnel, KU alumni and administrators, including Vice Chancellor David Ambler and Provost David Shulenburger, came to show their support.
Shulenburger:
Remodeling was done to reduce waiting time
Shulenburger said the remodeling had been done to reduce waiting time for students.
"One can't say enough about the dedication, the staff and the students that make us have the No.1 facility in the country," he said at the end of a speech delivered at the ceremony.
Jordan McKee, a graduate student who serves on the Student Health Advisory Board and who spoke at the dedication, said he was surprised at how many people came to the open house.
"Watkins has a rich history," McKeen said. "The people that made that history were present. I thought it was neat to see the faces behind the history."
After the ceremony, Watkins personnel gave tours of the building and its renovations.
Changes to the center included an additional 24 patient beds, five urgent-care beds and 20 wheelchair-accessible restrooms. Baker Cells, a machine that automatically fills prescriptions for the 23 most commonly used medications, was implemented in the pharmacy.
New decorations also were added. These include large, painted Jayhawks and KU signs in the lobby and a portrait of the first physician at Watkins — James Naismith, the legendary basketball coach.
There are also glass showcases on the second floor, which house biographical information about important people in Watkins' history.
Student fee increases to cover the cost of the remodeling were proposed in March 1994 and approved in April of that year by a 2-1 vote, McKee said. The referendum raised student health fees to $15 during the spring and fall semesters for 11 years after its approval and to $7.50 during that time period's summer semesters.
"We waited to have everybody back to see it," Boyle said. "Also, we wanted to have the landscaping finished before the ceremony."
In spring 1995, builders broke ground. The project was finished last June, three months ahead of schedule, said Jim Boyle, associate director of Watkins. Watkins officials chose to delay the dedication ceremony until school started, Boyle said.
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