The Harvard Heroes program recognizes University employees

By Jennifer Heldt

Special to the Gazette

Less than three days before the Law School was to host a major celebration marking the 100th anniversary of a landmark civil rights trial, the power went out, jeopardizing the event.

With guests scheduled to arrive from around the country and C-SPAN television crews set to film the event, the Emergency Response Team wasted no time. Members worked around the clock to provide temporary power and coordinate with city emergency crews to fix the problem.

The team even re-landscaped the area to hide the temporary wires so the event could continue with no distractions.

The team members' actions won them places as Harvard Heroes, along with about 50 other individuals, earlier this month.

The Harvard Heroes program was started three years ago to recognize employees who work in the departments that come under the purview of the Office of the Vice President for Administration who "set new standards for performance."

"This allows us to say 'thank you' to the people who have gone the extra mile," said Vice President for Administration Sally Zeckhauser. "These are people who are a model for the organization."

This year, the event honored the contributions of VPA departments as well those of University Information Systems, and included the conferring of special honors at a solemn ceremony reminiscent of graduation in a crowded Sanders Theatre.

Business School Professor Leonard Schlesinger made opening comments.

"We're here to talk about extraordinary people who do extraordinary things in extraordinary ways to make our lives extraordinarily better," said Schlesinger, the George F. Baker Jr. Professor of Business Administration.

The employees were asked to stand and President Neil L. Rudenstine welcomed them by name into the ranks of Harvard Heroes, thanking each one specifically for his or her contributions.

As he congratulated Patricia Loric of the Faculty Club, for example, he said, "You help provide an oasis of calm where faculty and staff can nourish their spirits."

The ceremony concluded with a slide show featuring the Harvard Heroes and their workplaces, accompanied by a song written especially for the occasion. Loud cheers rang throughout the theater each time a Harvard Hero appeared on the screen.

After the event, the Harvard Heroes, their guests, and colleagues gathered at Annenberg Hall for a celebration. The Harvard Heroes All-Star Garage Band Ñ composed of Harvard employees Ñ provided lively music.

"I haven't felt like this since my high school graduation," said Jeffrey Flemming, named a Harvard Hero for his work as manager of the Harvard University Press Display Room.

Flemming, who has worked at Harvard for 14 years, "carries on the proud tradition of personal book selling in an era of cookie-cutter conglomerates," according to his nomination, made by William Sisler.

The Heroes come from a wide variety of departments, ranging from dining services to administration to real estate management.

Mark Aston, nonresident superintendent for Harvard Planning and Real Estate, was nominated for boarding up a broken window late one night on a leased property before the tenant even knew it was broken. He left his home to fix the problem, even though the University was under no obligation to take care of it.

Arborist John Olmsted was nominated for his dedication to the maintenance of trees in the living collection at Arnold Arboretum.

"John cares deeply about his work and never hesitates to go the extra mile to make sure that any job that he is doing gets done properly, regardless of how much extra work it may mean for him," wrote Peter Del Tredici, director of living collections.

Several employees at Dudley Cafe and Leverett House Dining Hall were nominated not just for the service they provide but also for their teamwork, pride, and spirit.

One Harvard Hero, Central Kitchen Supervisor John J. Mingle, began his Harvard career washing pots at the Cronkhite Graduate Center in 1968. He "lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes Harvard," according to his nomination.

The Hazardous Waste Training Group dedicated 14 hours of its own time to learning new job skills. The Solid Waste and Recycling team was recognized by Vice President Al Gore for its ever-widening recycling program.

Although these employees don't work in the classroom, they still make an important contribution to the education of Harvard students, Rudenstine said at the ceremony.

"All of you are teachers, and the education process you participate in helps our students go out of here better people," he said.

Harvard Heroes:

Arboretum

John Olmsted, arborist

Harvard Faculty Club

Patricia Loric, steward

Dining Services

Maria Costa, lead, Quadrangle Dining Halls

Angelo Dalla Santa, customer service manager

Joseph J. Mingle, supervisor, central kitchen

Doug Young, associate director of finances

The Dudley Cafe

Christopher Martin, manager

Helen Kelly, lead

Andrew Ardolino, cook

Carol Bird

Peter Bonnell

Mei Chin

Andre Milord

Teresa Wilhoit

Leverett House Dining Hall

Edward Salerno, manager

Frank Kasprzyk, production manager

Serie Demelo

Larry Williams

Raphael Braithwaite

Tom Mason

Vivian Rastellini

Eleanor Perrier

Jackie Maderios

Sonia Holder

Mary Pappas

Anna Rivera

Steve McLaughlin

Jason Lee

Shawn Quinlan

Rou Zhou

Tim Hagan

Paul Sugrue

June Lalle

Harvard Magazine

Karline Kosdrosky, advertising account manager

Harvard Planning and Real Estate

Mark Aston, nonresident superintendent

Tracy Coleman, staff assistant III

Harvard Printing and Publication Services

Andrew Grace, technical specialist

Harvard University Press

Jeffrey Flemming, manager, HUP display room

Office of Human Resources

Van Tang, pension analysis supervisor

University Information Systems

Lisa Bresten, supervisor of telesales

Jeffrey Bronski, manager of platform support

Elise Linscott, associate technical specialist

University Operations Services

Susyrati Bunanta, mechanical engineer

Mary Ann Culhane, staff assistant III

Brenda Keenan, staff assistant III

Erin McAlonie, manager of administration

Carol Pontremoli, staff assistant III

Solid Waste and Recycling

Dan McKenna

Paul Ellsworth

Joe Furtado

Rob Gogan

Hazardous Waste Training Group

Joe Ring

John Scully

Robert McPherson

John O'Neil

Frank Osborne

Christopher Centrella

Emergency Response Team

Richard Della Barba

Bruce Swanton

Frank Moore

Paul Malagrifa

Warren Milley

Al Philip

John Clifford

James Clougher Jr.

Mark DeVeau

Tom Manning

John Scalia

Roger Whitcomb

Tom Quinn

Paul Burke

Jack Ferreira

Tom Mitchell

Mack Connolly

Bob Brown

John Cucchi