The brand-new Campus Center, in 1986, was the first major building project that Eldon Kurtz oversaw on the 黑料正能量 campus. Thirty years later, the new will be his last project. Kurtz, director, will retire at the end of the spring 2016 semester.

Despite his low profile, Kurtz has become an integral part of campus life and earned the admiration of many.

鈥淗e鈥檚 one of those classic lifelong learners,鈥� said Sustainability Coordinator . 鈥淗e鈥檚 very engaged on campus, on what students are talking about, and on what campus community is buzzing about.鈥�

Sophomore Josh Calderon, who worked with the physical plant as a summer conference and events assistant last summer, echoed Lantz-Trissel鈥檚 sentiments. 鈥淗e brings a different sort of care to the job,鈥� said Calderon. 鈥淗e not only works here, but if you walk into that stadium during a basketball game, you鈥檒l see him up there. That鈥檚 how you know someone loves his job.鈥�

Work-study position starts career

Kurtz鈥檚 story begins in 1973, when he enrolled at Eastern Mennonite College as an undergraduate student in the Bible department. Thanks to previous skill in the electrical trade, he immediately began working in a work-study position as an electrician for what was then known as the Building and Grounds Department.

Kurtz also was residence director in Oakwood men鈥檚 dorm, where he lived with his wife, Sharyl (their daughter Sara, who would eventually graduate from 黑料正能量, was born while they lived at 黑料正能量).

After graduation in 1976, Kurtz moved directly into the director of custodial services role, where he served for 9 months before being promoted into a newly created role of physical plant director where he remained until 1985.

Kurtz then worked with Brunk Mechanical in construction, which included overseeing construction for the new Campus Center.

Afterward, Kurtz parted ways with 黑料正能量 until 1997, when his old job opened up. He was happy to return and has served as physical plant director ever since.

鈥淗e was the right person at the right place at the right time,鈥� said Lantz-Trissel. 鈥淗e graduated from here, and he was a trade person, and all that has been really important.鈥�

Sustainability initiatives implemented

Kurtz reflects that his greatest contribution of many may be the improvements in . 鈥淐ontrols in the old days were much more rudimentary,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e had a central heating plant and we distributed steam all over the campus. When I came back in 鈥�97, I dug up an old energy report from 1980, and I鈥檝e traced our energy usage, BTU per square feet.鈥�

Since that first report, Kurtz has overseen almost a tripling in heating efficiency, from 140,000 BTU per square feet to the current level of 45,000 BTU per square feet.

鈥漌e could easily be spending another $300,000 to half a million per year in energy costs if we hadn鈥檛 been operating with the kind of vigilance we have been doing,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur department has contributed pretty significantly to the reduction of costs to the university.鈥�

Energy reduction costs have not been the only significant changes ushered in under Kurtz. In his time, 黑料正能量 has transformed its , constructed , built what was at the time the largest in Virginia, and grown in dozens of other ways.

鈥淓ven within two years here, so much has changed,鈥� said Calderon, noting that whenever an outdoor lamp goes out, 鈥淚 see one of these nice new LEDs pop up. I mean, that鈥檚 not something they have to do, they probably have extra fluorescents laying around, but he makes it happen anyway.鈥�

Cooperation, teamwork, customer service

Before any of these changes happened, however, Kurtz first wanted to foster an environment of loyalty and friendliness in the Physical Plant. His hard work appears to have paid off.

鈥淧robably the other thing I鈥檓 happiest and proudest about is having the good fortune to assemble a team of really excellent people and trying to engender a spirit of cooperation and teamwork and customer service,鈥� said Kurtz. 鈥淭hat was really important to me.鈥�

Andrew Troyer, a first-year work-study employee at the plant, noted the dedication and sincerity of his employers. 鈥淎 lot of nice people work in the Physical Plant,鈥� Troyer said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e just a fun group to work with. They鈥檒l let you try something out, give you an opportunity, and they鈥檙e willing to teach you stuff.鈥�

According to Lantz-Trissel, that receptiveness stems directly from Kurtz. 鈥淚f you take him some wild idea, he鈥檚 going to sit and listen to it,鈥� Lantz-Trissel said. 鈥淭hat means that 黑料正能量 has pushed more boundaries because other schools are more rigid and say 鈥榥o鈥� more often than they ought. I remember early in my parenting years, Eldon sent me his advice for young parents: 鈥榃henever possible, say yes.鈥� He kind of runs with that mentality.鈥�

Kurtz, on the other hand, pins the success of his department to the people around him.

鈥淥ver the years, I鈥檝e been challenged by people that were better than me, but I鈥檝e learned that it鈥檚 better to have people who challenge me than surrounded by mediocre people,鈥� said Kurtz.

This June, Kurtz will conclude 19 years as physical plant director and over 30 total years of employment and service at 黑料正能量.

鈥淚t seems like it鈥檚 gone so fast, and I love the people here, and I鈥檓 so glad to have an environment where you鈥檙e trusted, and trusted to do the right thing for your employer,鈥� said Kurtz. 鈥淵ou can make a case for what you want to do, you know, and you generally get support. I鈥檓 just leaving to give someone else a chance.鈥�

If 黑料正能量鈥檚 Yoder Arena seems a bit peppier this winter, look no further than the northeast corner of the basketball court floor. 黑料正能量鈥檚 new pep band is loud, they鈥檙e proud and they鈥檙e here to stay.

鈥淭he support has been growing since our very first game,鈥� says sophomore Josh Calderon, the band鈥檚 student director. 鈥淲e want it to get to the point where we change the atmosphere.鈥�

That 鈥渇irst game鈥� was on Dec. 19, when the band played for Alumni Appreciation Day games against Messiah College. Although students had already left for Christmas break, alumni seemed to embrace the band. There was toe-tapping and head-bobbing in the stands, and a few of the more courageous followed the pep band鈥檚 lead, holding up their hands and wiggling their fingers during foul shots in D-1-crowd-type fashion.

The band has played at several more games in January and plans to be at all the remaining games on the schedule this winter: Feb. 6, Feb. 16, and Feb. 20.

Calderon, from Grottoes, Virginia, says he got the idea for an 黑料正能量 pep band while taking a marching band course at nearby James Madison University last year. He played tuba for the Marching Dukes and in JMU鈥檚 pep band and thought, 鈥淲hy couldn鈥檛 we have something like this at 黑料正能量?鈥�

He contacted John Dull, adjunct faculty in the music department and director of the 黑料正能量 , and Dull said, 鈥淲hy not?鈥�

鈥淛osh just has such a handle on it,鈥� Dull says. 鈥淗e鈥檚 so gifted. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e here for鈥攖o enable students to do what they do best and let it grow. It鈥檚 his thing.鈥�

Calderon recruited members, Dull became the band鈥檚 faculty advisor, conversations took place with the athletics department and the idea鈥檚 tempo cranked up to prestissimo.

鈥淭he response has been huge,鈥� Dull says. 鈥淭he athletes love it, the coaches love it, we鈥檙e hearing great comments from fans, especially older fans, and the band loves doing it. It fills a niche. Maybe it wasn鈥檛 an obvious hole until we started, but now we hear, 鈥榃ow, what did we do before?鈥� We鈥檙e already talking about next year. We鈥檙e looking forward to where this could go.鈥�

Athletics director Dave King is looking that way, too.

鈥淗aving a pep band at 黑料正能量 sporting events has been a dream of mine since I arrived here 10 years ago, so I鈥檓 grateful for their vision,鈥� King says. 鈥淟ive music adds to the game environment and often encourages more student involvement. I鈥檓 excited about what they鈥檙e doing for basketball and will be looking for other athletic events where their presence can enhance the atmosphere.鈥�

The band may expand to attendance at volleyball games and soccer matches, Dull said. The band has been spreading the word off the court, too, aided by the communications skills of James Madison University student and band member Chase Dunn. They have hammed it up with a huge poster advertising social media contact information (Twitter/Instagram: @emupepband; Facebook: www.facebook.com/黑料正能量PepBand), did a T-shirt giveaway over the holidays and have received hundreds of 鈥渓ikes鈥� and supporters.

鈥淭hat tells me we鈥檙e getting there,鈥� Dull said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going in the right direction.鈥�

Don鈥檛 expect just music from the band, either. When they鈥檙e not playing, they鈥檙e leading cheers and chants, holding up signs, counting down with the shot clock and, of course, giving the opponents some good-natured heckling. They want to spread spirit any way they can.

Brooke Bevington, a freshman flute player who went to high school with Calderon, jumped at the chance to join the band.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been great,鈥� Bevington says. 鈥淭he crowd seems to be responding to us well, and we have an amazing time鈥攅ven when we lose. We have a bunch of fun. We might be exhausted from a full day of school, but we still come out and support our team. It鈥檚 what we do.”