Bezotte, Dorvinen, Jones to Receive Employee Excellence Awards
By Laura Walikainen
Staff Council has announced the 2002 Employee Excellence Award recipients.
Librarian David Bezotte was honored with the award in the administrative/professional
category. Office Assistant Kathleen Dorvinen (Central Ticket Office) received
the award in the clerical/secretarial group, and Public Safety Officer
Douglas Jones was honored in the crafts/maintenance/technical/paraprofessional
category. "David is so deserving of this award not only because of his level
of effort and productivity, but also because of his gracious service to
everyone from first-year students to people from the corporate world,"
said Bezotte's supervisor, Librarian Pauline Moore, who nominated him
for the award. "Students seek him out because his concern for their
needs is genuine, and his approach is encouraging." A thirty-year veteran of the Van Pelt Library, Bezotte's service began
with a part-time job while he was a student here in 1968. After receiving
his degree in business administration in 1972, he began to work full time
at the library. Bezotte went on to receive his master's degree in library
science and currently works as the instructional services coordinator,
training others on using the library's resources. "My job is satisfying because we are giving people a valuable skill
that they can take home with them," said Bezotte. "I also enjoy
the contact with students, faculty and staff across campus. It's an interesting
job that's always changing, and you get a feeling that you're helping
people." In addition to his duties at the library, Bezotte is involved in the
larger University and local communities. He is the current advisor of
Sigma Rho fraternity and a member of the Michigan Tech Concert Choir and
has served as a piano and organ accompanist for a number of events including
International Night and the Provost's Open House. Bezotte also manages
the Foundation Center Regional Collection, a resource and service provided
free for grant seekers at MTU and the larger community beyond. "He's been so consistent for decades, and it is great that he's
being acknowledged," said Moore, who has worked with Bezotte in various
capacities for more than 20 years. "David does all of this very naturally.
That's just the way he is. It's as though he doesn't realize how special
a person he is and how very admirable his qualities are." According to Chris Roy, manager of the Central Ticket Office, Kathleen
Dorvinen is "one of the most honest and dependable employees"
he's ever encountered. "During the past six months, Kathleen has made the transition from
specialized clerk to office assistant with tremendous results," said
Roy. "Her ability to take in different and challenging responsibilities
in a fast-paced operation is remarkable." This is Dorvinen's fifth year at the University, where she has worked
in the Central Ticket Office as a senior clerk, a senior specialized clerk
and, most recently, as office assistant. She also serves as the union
steward of District 4 for the MTU UAW Local 5000. "She treats all our customers very well and respects everyone equally,"
said Roy, who nominated Dorvinen." Kathy really enjoys speaking with
them. She also finds time talk to our student workers regarding school,
family, etc. I have heard, on more than one occasion, that students feel
as if she is their mother away from home." "I love people--I'm a real people person," said Dorvinen. "For
some reason people like to confide in me, so I get a lot of life stories,
which I'm comfortable with." "Kathy loves what she is doing and makes working at the SDC very
enjoyable," said Administrative Aide Dawn Doyle, who also nominated
Dorvinen. Dorvinen credits great coworkers and the constant variety her job offers
with making her work so enjoyable. "I have the best coworkers ever," Dorvinen continued. "They're
always willing to help out and they are very supportive. I truly feel
that we are like a family in this department. It's hard not to be happy
where you are working when you have such great people supporting you. "There's always something new here; it's never the same thing everyday,"
Dorvinen said. "It's always a challenge, and I really enjoy that." Upon hearing that she had won this award, Dorvinen was "almost speechless,"
which is "a rarity" for her. "To be given this award is
such a huge honor. I'm still in a state of shock." On the morning of Nov. 5, 2001, Officer Jones discovered one explosive
device near the Noblet Forestry Building and another near the U.S. Forest
Service Building while on patrol. "Officer Jones is very dependable and trustworthy," said Jon
Ahola, director of public safety. "He is always willing to help others
and give assistance to people both on and off campus." Fellow officer and partner Brian Cadwell agreed that Jones is "dedicated
to making sure the campus is secure day and night." "Our work as police officers brings us into contact with folks from
all walks of life on a daily basis," continued Cadwell. "Doug
is consistently fair and even-handed with everyone he deals with." Jones has served the University for 10 years and is the current president
of the local Police Officers Association. "Doug can always be counted on to assist with a problem," Cadwell
said. "He takes charge of the situation and helps to bring about
a good solution, no matter how big or small the problem is." Ahola has taken pride in the abilities of his entire department, both
before and after the bombs were discovered. "All our officers are professional, caring and concerned about the
University," Ahola said. "If I were able, I would have nominated
all of my officers as a group for the tremendous amount of work they all
performed during the past year. They have all been working hard prior
to and since Nov. 5." When he learned that Jones had received this award, Ahola felt "proud
and fortunate to have such a great department." "This just goes to show that our public safety officers will go
the extra mile in carrying out their duty in patrolling the entire campus,"
Ahola said. Each of the Employee Excellence Award recipients will receive $1,500
and will be honored at President's Convocation on Sept. 18. 6/14/02
