President's Classified Employee of the Year
Paul Dzerk
Grounds Supervisor I/Arborist
Rebel Since: 1984
What you do: I am responsible for care of the campus trees and supervising the tree crew. We handle all aspects of the trees. We plant them, trim them, remove them when necessary, stake them when they need it, and fertilize them.
Number of trees on campus: We estimate about 3,000.
Which trees do best here on campus? The mulberry trees do very well. They are great in the desert, but we won't be planting any more. They cause allergy problems for too many people.
Why ºÚÁÏÍø? I like the campus community, the atmosphere. I retired from the Air Force after 21 years. I guess I got used to being part of a community. And I've enjoyed staying at the same place so I can see the progress of the trees. At some other places you might not be able to see the product of your work over a number of years.
Is this work similar to what you did in the Air Force? No. I was in aircraft maintenance. When I was still in the service I would think about what I wanted to do when I got out. I thought maybe I'd be happy with a truck, a lawnmower, and maybe one helper.
What can people on campus do to make your job easier? Pay attention to the work zones! We mark those areas off with cones and signs when we are working in the trees. Obeying the markers can keep you safe.
Advice for a new employee: Get as much training and be as knowledgeable about the job and the campus as you can.
A perfect day: A day where everything goes right and there are no interruptions.
Your reaction to winning the award? I was pleased to know maybe somebody realizes what the tree crew does on campus.
What People Nominating Dzerk for the Award Had to Say
Robert Lynn, facility manager of the department of landscape, grounds, and arboretum, who was the 2010 winner of the same award, praised Dzerk for his dedication to safety, noting that Dzerk's crews work "at or above ground with chain saws and a variety of other highly dangerous equipment." He also credited Dzerk with training more than 100 employees to work with the trees. Additionally, he listed a number of professional organizations to which the arborist belongs.
Sandra Obenour-Dowd of the department of landscape, grounds, and arboretum, who is this year's winner of the President's Classified Rookie of the Year Award, said, "Paul was instrumental in ºÚÁÏÍø obtaining our Tree Campus USA designation. Paul put in many hours, much of it on his own time, into putting our campus tree care plan into writing. Thanks to his meticulous records, we were able to supply detailed information on the number of trees planted and the number of hours dedicated to campus tree care."
