My father used to work for Kennecott for 29 years doing the same thing I do: cleaning. And I always thought, “I want to follow in his footsteps.” 

I just kind of got into it, and I'm like, “I like cleaning.” But when I started here, I think I was 21. 35 years and running! People keep asking me, “When you gonna retire?” And I keep saying, “I’m not ready, I got 17 more years.”

I'll do my part, not all of it, but just pieces, bits and pieces. Kind of nice doing the same thing, the same hours pretty much, you know, started out at 6:00 in the morning working in the School of Medicine. It just worked out for the best.

Going in the room, first, I always like to make sure it's clean so I don't have to go around all day wiping. I just tell people I run around hot all the time. So they decided, “OK, then we'll call you Hot Rod.”

A lot of the times the patients go, “Hey Hot Rod, how you doing?” “Well, that depends, how you doing?” I tell them, “When you’re happy, the boss is happy.” Everybody treats me with respect, and they know me by name. I consider them my family. And a lot of the times customers are in pain. I like to think I’m the happy drug until the drugs get to them. And they like it! They smile when they see me.”

“We okay to come in? It's just Hot Rod. The nice guy that was here yesterday. I got a camera crew behind me. I'm trying to behave myself.” I can’t think of any other place I’d rather be. I wouldn’t be here 35 years later saying that. I love it.”