Ginger Hauser - Secretary to the Dean

1985-2002
Recollections on the college of technology as seen by a secretary to the dean

On September 3, 1985 I started my employment in Kent Randall’s office as secretary to the Dean.  I remember it clearly as I was the only one in the office for the week and was plunged into the job immediately.  All of the department secretaries were still on vacation and their phones were forwarded to the Dean’s Office.  I fielded over 60 phone calls the first day, trying to remember to answer “College of Technology, Dean’s Office” and did so all but twice when I referred to the office of my previous job!  By the end of the day, the title of the office had been shortened to “Dean’s Office, Technology”.  School was soon to start and I learned a lot very rapidly.
My favorite memory of Kent Randall was watching/listening to him answer his own phone.  No matter how engrossed he was in paper work, when the phone rang he would stop, put a smile on his face and then pick up the phone saying softly, “Kent Randall”.  You could hear the smile in his voice.  My second favorite memory is that Kent remembered everyone.  He knew the names of the faculty, secretaries, lab aides, and students in “his” college, a no mean feat considering that was a lot of folks in six departments.  Kent was always a calm, cool gentleman – a joy to work for.
NUSAT was an exciting period in the College’s history.  To think little old Weber State College would launch a satellite!   I still have one of the T-shirts commemorating the occasion of its 1985 launch!  
 

The Sales and Service Department, headed by John Burkes at that time, moved into the area around the Dean’s Office while their department was being remodeled and refurbished.  Dan Litchford was a motivational speaker in his classrooms and in his everyday life.  It was truly special to have that wonderful man right next to my office.  Dan had a lapel button, one of which I still have, that said B.I.O.N.I.C. which stands for Believe it or Not, I Care.  That was our Dan.  Dan Litchford was housed in the south end of the Dean’s Conference room at the time (1986) that the Challenger accident occurred.  When 9/11/2001 happened, Dan was teaching a class in the very large south classroom of Engineering Technology.  I had heard, on KSL, about the first plane hitting the towers as I was driving into the parking lot.  By the time the second plane hit, school was underway for the morning.  I ran my radio down to Dan’s classroom and left it there so the students could hear what was happening in our country.
In 1991 (I believe it was that year), Kent retired and Dean Warren Hill began his job.  Warren and I worked well together, in spite of the fact he was from Nebraska and I from Michigan.  When football season began, we had our bets on the Nebraska/Michigan games.  I still think of him today when Nebraska and Michigan play.  
There were many changes to the college in the years to come.  It became a University and the School of Technology became the College of Applied Science and Technology (COAST).  It must have been in 1998 when Dean Hill and Heather headed to Melbourne, Australia for a six month sabbatical and Dr. Margaret Bennett took over as Assistant Dean.
One of the biggest joys of my “tenure” was during the summer months and I usually was “the only game in town” when students would come into the office for “counseling” and then return months later to thank me for helping them decide what to do.  I look back at my time in the School/College of Technology/Applied Science and Technology and it was a huge part of my life.  My friendships with the faculty and staff were/are dear to me.  Thanks, Kerry for helping me relive some of these memories.

- Ginger Hauser