By Elizabeth Walker
“Simple, honest, hard work is what holds
a community together,” then Acting President Frank
Vellaccio told the crowd of “non-exempt” or hourly
employees gathered for the annual Service Awards/Retirees
Luncheon held last January in the ballroom of the Hogan Campus
Center. “It’s what makes Holy Cross work.”
Those employees represent a significant constituency of the Holy Cross family.
Their “simple, honest hard work,” coupled with the family spirit
they bring to their jobs, keeps Holy Cross humming each day. They bring that
family spirit to every corner of campus—from the heating plant to Kimball
Dining Hall; from public safety to groundskeeping, maintenance and housekeeping.
The strong work ethic, devotion to Holy Cross and thoughtfulness of the hourly
employees who make this institution function as a family went virtually unheralded
until 1997. That year, Donal J. Burns ’49, who previously established the
Rev. John E. Brooks Chair in the Humanities, established and generously endowed
the Claire B. Burns Non-exempt Employee Award Program in honor of his wife, Claire,
an alumna of the Class of 1990. As a nontraditional student, Claire lived on
campus for two years where she enjoyed the special care and family spirit provided
by those who worked in Kimball, the women in housekeeping, the secretaries in
Fenwick, the maintenance crew and the campus police officers.
“The ‘little things,’ like a smile in the morning or a word
of encouragement at the end of the day from an employee in Kimball, loomed very
large in my student days,” Claire said. “I am delighted that such
family thoughtfulness is now recognized and that those silent contributors are
now honored.”
Echoing those sentiments, Don added, “The spirit of family, cooperation
and support that the non-exempt employees provided so freely was a major factor
in Claire’s successful Holy Cross experience. That’s why we wanted
to do something to honor them and show our appreciation.”
That “something,” the Claire B. Burns Award, is presented annually
to active and retired non-exempt, full-time employees. From among the nominations
of employees with at least five years service, the selection committee chooses
those who best demonstrate a commitment to fostering a spirit of family both
in the conduct of their campus duties, and in their interactions with coworkers
and other members of the Holy Cross community. Each year multiple awards are
made; recipients are recognized at the annual awards luncheon. In addition to
a minimum after-tax stipend of $1,000, the honorees receive a medallion, a citation
and a photograph of the presentation.
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