The passing of Green Key is a symbol that summer is just around the corner.
Students of the College spend their summers in a variety of ways. Sophomores will spend the term in residence. In addition some students will cross the globe.
Lucky students will travel and see the sights, intern everywhere from the Capital to the West Coast or engage in serious research thanks to various benefactors.
I, however, will be returning to the same summer job I had last year: Parts Guy at A1 Air Compressor in Addison, Illinois. "Parts Guy" is a semi-official title that does a good job of describing what I do. I make sure that spare air compressor parts come in and go out smoothly as well as performing other odd jobs.
When I first began to hear all the exotic, serious and important things that my classmates would be doing over the summer I was slightly embarrassed by my own seeming lack of ambition. How could stocking gaskets compare with bringing Ted Kennedy his lunch or sipping wine in the South of France?
Addison, Illinois bears no resemblance to France and the men I work with have very little in common with Ted Kennedy. However, last summer was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life and I expect this summer to be no different.
The mechanics I work with at A1 lament their fate. They started working there while they were in high school and became full-timers when they either graduated or dropped out. Several of my co-workers once had dreams of going to college. However, the money of working forty hours a week sucked them in and now the constraints of family life have them trapped.
One man, "The Babe," defies this generalization. The Babe loves his job. He knows everything there is to know about air compressors. The Babe takes pride in his work and other people take notice. He earned the respect of co-workers who look to him when they have a technical question. A1's customers know his skill and ask for him specifically.
While I learned a lot from The Babe, the knowledge I gained from the darker side of A1 was equally important. The racism and homophobia of A1 Air Compressor's employees make any FSP experience pale in comparison. Over the 3 months of summer, I heard more racial slurs than I knew existed.
In one lunch time conversation it was the opinion of many of my fellow employees that a public basketball hoop attracts black people to a neighborhood like a magnet. If a hoop is constructed in "our" park, then "they" will start to move in.
As scary as those conversations were it was inspiring to see that some of the mechanics clearly saw things in a different light and were courageous enough to speak up in favor of more enlightened views.
When I return this summer to my job I will not learn how a bill becomes a law. My knowledge of fine wines will remain zero. However, my eyes will be wide open for an opportunity to learn.
So this summer when you find yourself in the library researching the effects of the Civil War on the geology of your hometown or Ted Kennedy tells you he wants a Turkey Club, no mayo, think of me and the boys at A1. Or think of Mark Twain who said, "I never let my schooling get in the way of my education."
