Harold: The man behind the vacuum

When he learned to ice skate on Westhampton Lake as a child, Harold Wainwright Jr. said he had never dreamed he would become a father-figure to 170 Richmond College students every year.

Wearing his faded gray uniform, high socks and a smile, Wainwright, 53, comes to the University of Richmond five days a week to clean South Court.

Wainwright has been working at the university since 2004. He grew up in Richmond and now resides alone in Chesterfield. Wainwright studied social work at Lewisburg Junior College in North Carolina and business at Ferrum College in Virginia.

He worked in the printing industry for 19 years, but after he was laid off three times and worked several odd jobs, Wainwright said he had come to the university looking for a change.

"This is the only job where I can actually say that I look forward to coming to work every day," Wainwright said.

On a typical day, Wainwright reports to South Court from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and empties the trash, sweeps and mops the steps, cleans the restrooms and vacuums the hallways. He said he typically had found the most mess in the hallways, especially during football season.

Wainwright said he loved everything about his job but one task: cleaning the mess that students made after they got sick, especially on the weekends.

Not having young children of his own, Wainwright said that the students in South Court were like his family. He has kept a scrapbook stuffed with photographs and cards from the students since he started to work at Richmond. By the end of this fall semester, Wainwright said he would know everyone living in the building on a first name basis.

"I think of myself as a father-figure and someone they can come and talk to if need be," Wainwright said. "They talk to me about all kinds of things, problems with girlfriends and different things, and I try to just listen and give them what little advice I can."

Wainwright completed Common Ground Safe Zone training, a network for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, he said. He also loved to support his "children" by attending the University Players productions with his friend Francis who works in Jeter Hall, he said.

Wainwright said he had created special bonds with the resident assistants and the foreign exchange students who had lived in South Court. They seemed to appreciate him more and have even kept in touch with him after they have graduated, he said.

Junior Keon Monroe, who was a resident assistant in South Court last year, said Wainwright had been unique compared to the other facilities staff because he had actually tried to get to know everyone.

"He is very personable, and you can tell that he wants to take the time to get to know you," Monroe said. "I think that people can appreciate more personal staff members because it's not just a person cleaning for you. He's our friend."

In his scrapbook, Wainwright also keeps the awards that he has won for his service at the university. In 2006, Wainwright won the Shining Star award in South Court and the Best of the Best (BOB) award twice in 2009 for his outstanding service. He was presented the Going Green award at the half-time of a football game in 2010 for the most recycling of any of the workers in the residence halls, he said.

"Harold loves to recycle and above all, he is very reliable," said Gladys Baskerville, custodial shift supervisor. "He is always at work, and he is a person that is willing to help the students in any way that he can to make them comfortable."

Wainwright took non-credit classes offered to the community through the School of Continuing Studies in Spanish, Taekwondo, lifesaving, cooking and wine tasting, he said.

Through the tuition remission policy, Wainwright was eligible to take five non-credit courses per calendar year as a part of his faculty benefits, said James Campbell, director of marketing at SCS.

"This opportunity creates a richer work environment," Campbell said. "It is part of being at a great institution, and these benefits make people more satisfied with their jobs."

Wainwright also traveled to New York City with a program offered by SCS in 2009 and toured the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the site of the Sept. 11 attacks, China Town and Times Square, he said.

Wainwright said he had never been to New York and his favorite part of the trip was seeing the Broadway play, "9 to 5" .

"I feel very fortunate to have all of these opportunities and to be working at Richmond," Wainwright said. "I urge students to enjoy everything that the university has to offer, and I mean everything. Study hard and just do the best you can. Face the world head on."

Contact staff writer Erin Moyer at erin.moyer@richmond.edu