By: Abigail Burke and Leah Wilkinson
Bellarmine’s maintenance employees are always hard at work on campus, but what are they up to when they’re not fixing HVACs and painting?
Dan Cornelison has been at Bellarmine for six years, specializing in heating and air conditioning. He is a pipefitter by trade and said he plans to work at Bellarmine for the rest of his professional career. He studies religion on the side and enjoys relaxing at his home across the river in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
“I do a lot of walking and exercises, but mainly I’m a quiet person and stay at home,” he said.
That sounds like a nice pace after a long hot day of zooming around campus on a golf cart. If there’s one thing Cornelison and his co-workers have in common, it’s that they each have their own way of enjoying their off time.
Nate Clark has been at Bellarmine for four years. He likes to sing karaoke, specifically Roy Orbison. “I do a pretty good rendition of ‘Pretty Woman,’” he said. He specializes in controlling heating and air conditioning.
Hopefully Bellarmine’s air conditioning is working smoothly in this September heat, but if anything goes awry, Clark said he is happy to help.
“If it’s too hot or too cold I try and make that not happen, usually hopefully before you all notice,” he said.
In need of a carpenter on campus? Look no further than Tony Brodfehrer. He started working at Bellarmine this semester and is a cabinet maker and carpenter by trade and has three sons. He previously worked in facilities for the Archdiocese of Louisville.
“My life is work and kids,” Brodfehrer said. “I was gonna be a political cartoonist years ago, [then I] switched to architectural design,” he said.
Although different paths led each of them to Bellarmine, all of the maintenance workers said they enjoy their time on campus, with casual banter abounding in the breakroom.
Clark worked in maintenance at Syracuse, adding that he once met the university’s former assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine, who got angry at Clark when the heating unit wasn’t working. “I wasn’t sad to see him go,” Clark said.
Although Cornelison said he enjoys relaxing at home, he also likes to travel. He’s been pretty much everywhere in the United States, specifically the East Coast. He was with the military for 16 years, leaving the Army Reserve in 1983.
“My wife was pregnant and I was ready to move on,” he said.
He hasn’t done much traveling since his days in the Army, other than, of course, his favorite vacation spot, Myrtle Beach.
Cornelison said the maintenance employees always enjoy engaging with students. “It’s always fun,” he said.