If you\u2019ve been around the labs in the Cancer Center anytime in the last 29 years, you\u2019ve probably seen Willie Keith. From March of 1992 he\u2019s worked for and then become the lead worker in the Glassware Washing and Sterilization Facility (glasswash). He\u2019s seen plenty of people come and go during his time, becoming an institution at UWCCC. Willie is retiring May 4, 2021 and will be greatly missed by everyone here.<\/p>\n
Willie Keith was interviewed by MaryAnne Naundorf. Additional information was added by Carl Johnson.<\/em><\/p>\n Tell us about your current position.<\/strong><\/p>\n Currently, I cover 4 floors in WIMR I and 1 floor in WIMR II with the labs that each of those floors contain. I also cover some labs back in the hospital. The job is reprocessing all the glassware and utensils on those floors. Reprocessing includes washing and drying the glassware, autoclaving and sterilizing as needed.<\/p>\n How did you get into this job?<\/strong><\/p>\n I spent 8.5 years (from 1984 to 1992) at Pop\u2019s Club in Gordon Commons. A friend was a lead worker in glasswash prior to me joining the team. Someone retired, and I put in a transfer in March 1992 to come here and leave food service.<\/p>\n What is a typical workday, if you have one as such?<\/strong><\/p>\n I arrive at the 5th<\/sup> floor of the hospital, grab my cart, head out to WIMR I, and start with whichever floor I feel like that day. I go to my glassroom on each floor and empty the equipment, pick up the dirty glassware and process it in dishwashers, wrap and autoclave, do the acid wash, and deliver glassware back to the labs. I repeat that with each floor in WIMR I, then go to WIMR II, and last I do the labs back in the hospital. It\u2019s a lot of walking and waiting for the machines that can\u2019t work so fast, so it\u2019s a mixed back of staying motivated and waiting. It used to be a whole group of people, and now it\u2019s a one man band.<\/p>\n Carl added that it\u2019s approximately 40 labs and some curveballs. It\u2019s like having a lot of bosses.<\/em><\/p>\n When did the job move from a team to one person?<\/strong><\/p>\n It happened quite a while ago, I can\u2019t remember how long it\u2019s been.<\/p>\n Carl added that it was only Willie when he started in 2009.<\/em><\/p>\n How has UW changed since you\u2019ve been here?<\/strong><\/p>\n Back when I started, it was like the wild, wild west. I\u2019ve seen the growth of new procedures and new, young doctors who bring lots of excitement. You can see how people change over time. You can see the excitement people bring when they join.<\/p>\n What is your favorite part of the job you\u2019re doing?<\/strong><\/p>\n I enjoy getting to see everyone in the labs. I\u2019ve developed a relationship with workers, students, and managers. It was great seeing a variety of people every day. I\u2019ve seen a lot of people come and go; Dr. Bailey was a medical fellow back when I started and he\u2019s the Director now.<\/p>\n What do you wish people knew about your position?<\/strong><\/p>\n I wish people knew how entailed it is. Some of the old school people realize what\u2019s involved with the job: how many other labs are involved and everything I do. Many people don\u2019t know how much goes on.<\/p>\n When Carl added that Willie has been reminding people to take tape and labels off their glassware, Willie remarked that he\u2019s been saying that since March of \u201992.<\/em><\/p>\n Where are you originally from?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m from the East Side of Madison. I was in Madison until I was 25, when I moved out to the Mazomanie area. I\u2019ve been out in the Wisconsin River area ever since. It\u2019s a very pretty drive, but people think I\u2019m crazy because I work in Madison and keep moving further west.<\/p>\n What\u2019s your favorite place in Wisconsin?<\/strong><\/p>\n I like North of Prairie du Chien, the Mississippi valley area. It\u2019s where I learned to swim. I did a lot of fishing in the Mississippi river. The bluffs are beautiful. Wyalusing State Park and Pikes Peak Park across the river in Iowa are beautiful. At Pikes Peak there\u2019s a waterfall called Bridal Veil. You can walk behind it, which is cool.<\/p>\n What do you enjoy doing when you\u2019re not at work?<\/strong><\/p>\n I garden: I have a vegetable garden, and I help my wife with her flower garden. We\u2019ve planted over 150 trees on our property. I like to fish as well.<\/p>\n Do you have any exciting plans for retirement?<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019re trying to get the house buttoned up so it\u2019s less maintenance. I live in a log sided home and have to re-stain it every 3-4 years. I\u2019m not getting younger, and I don\u2019t bounce better. I\u2019m trying to get that all figured out.<\/p>\n We only have 1 dog, so my wife and I can travel now. It\u2019s on our bucket list to get to a warm ocean \u2013 either the west coast or the gulf coast. Every day is an adventure. I\u2019m looking forward to time, freedom, and seeing what tomorrow brings.<\/p>\n Is there anything else you\u2019d like to add?<\/strong><\/p>\n This has really been a dream job; jumping out of food service to here was definitely a dream. There\u2019s been conflict, with personality and policy changes. But it\u2019s been like a family where everyone looks out for each other. UWCCC has been a marvelous place to work for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019ve been around the labs in the Cancer Center anytime in the last 29 years, you\u2019ve probably seen Willie Keith. 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