Every other month, Random Profile spotlights a stochastically chosen staff member. This month we feature Roger Schaefer (Traffic Services), one of the NCAR shuttle drivers.
Number of jobs since college:
Two (not counting two years in the Army). After Roger graduated from the University of Iowa in 1963 with a degree in finance, "I went to work immediately for New York Life [Insurance Company] and stayed with them for 34 years. It was the only job I ever had after college [until NCAR]." Roger retired last year, but "it only lasted four weeks. I'd had a job since I was 14 years old. I needed a part-time job, and I've always liked to drive."
Number of job titles since college:
Two. "I had the same job title all those years at New York Life: operations manager. Basically, I supervised clerical staff and worked with the agents in their training and development. I was the principal liaison between the field offices and the head office in New York City."
How Boulder cast its spell on Roger:
He'd already undergone six transfers during his career--including stints in Minneapolis and Rochester, Minnesota; Davenport and Waterloo, Iowa; and Dallas, Texas--before he made it to Boulder in 1989. When the company proposed transferring him to Omaha last year, Roger decided he'd moved enough.
Second choice of wheels after the NCAR shuttle:
A mountain bike. On nice mornings, Roger pedals about three miles to the Foothills Lab at 6:30 a.m. On weekends, he favors one- or two-hour circuits on the city bike trails, especially the Boulder Creek Path. All told, Roger cycles about 80 miles per week.
Former hometown whose traffic makes Roger appreciate Boulder:
Dallas. "If people here have to sit through one traffic-light change, they think it's unreasonable."
Top suggestion for improving motorized traffic flow in Boulder:
Designating some streets one-way. "I'm aware of only one one-way street in Boulder. When cities want to move traffic, they generally go to one-way streets."
Favorite blind date:
When Roger met his wife, Dorothy. "She was attending the University of Northern Iowa [in Cedar Falls]. Her roommate was dating a good friend of mine. I told him, 'You fix me up--just find me somebody who's tall.' [Roger is 6' 3 1/2".] He found me the tallest girl he could--five foot seven." Married in 1964, Roger and Dorothy have two daughters. One, who followed in Roger's footsteps by graduating from the University of Iowa, is now married and living in Denver. The other is completing her senior year at Colorado State University. Dorothy is the director of Jack and Jill Preschool and Kindergarten.
Next vacation destination:
South Padre Island, Texas, this coming January. "We like to get away from winter whenever we can."
Most surprisingly agreeable transfer:
Roger's two years in the service. He was stationed in Germany from 1966 to 1968 while on leave from New York Life. "I got a letter from LBJ that said, 'Friend, we need you.' My wife was with me, and really it was two of the best years of our lives." Roger got 90 days of leave during his European detail, thanks in part to a clerical error.
Favorite shuttle patrons:
"I like to visit with new passengers from foreign countries, especially about their political systems, since I'm politically active. I learned this morning that Belgium borders on four other countries. The two I guessed were Luxembourg and France; the other two were Germany and the Netherlands." •BH
