For the second year, the Bartels family has returned to campus to recognize outstanding custodial service.

Steven Gorgos/University Photography

Posing after the Bartels Award for Custodial Service Excellence ceremony Nov. 7 are, from left, Rob Osborn, President David Skorton, Denise Compton, Bob Stone, MaryAnn Diller, Ramona "Mo" Bensley, Dan Thurston and Phil Bartels.

Last February, Phil Bartels '71, wife Susan, daughter Katie '06 and son Christopher '09 inaugurated the Bartels Award for Custodial Service Excellence. They created the award as the result of the kindness Duffield Hall custodian Craig Beaver had shown to Katie. Beaver, noticing how focused Katie and her friends were when they studied for their final exams, brought them brownies and cookies and offered the students encouraging words.

Beaver did not know that Katie was the daughter of a prominent Cornell alumnus or that she would tell her parents how thoughtful Cornell's custodial staff members were to her. Yet she did, and soon afterward Phil Bartels contacted Rob Osborn, director of the Department of Building Care, to express his gratitude for the caring and compassion that the custodial staff had demonstrated.

Bartels proposed a recognition program for Building Care custodial staff. The award is to be given annually to five custodians who have at least five years of service and were nominated by their supervisors for their strong customer service orientation, reliability, team-building skills, communication and positive attitude.

"Selecting this year's winners was especially difficult," Osborn said to approximately 300 custodial staff and guests at the Nov. 7 ceremony in the Statler Ballroom. "We had so many excellent nominees." For the 2008-09 year, four custodians and one head custodian were chosen:

• Denise Compton, "a reliable and diligent employee" who has twice received the department's excellent attendance award and has shown flexibility in moving from the day to the night shift;
• Dan Thurston, "courteous, dependable and upbeat, who is meticulous about his floor care, especially in Tjaden Hall";
• Ramona Bensley, who has worked in the College of Engineering for most of her 21 years in Building Care, demonstrating "an impeccable work ethic, diligence and a caring and supportive nature to her coworkers";
• Bob Stone, whose three decades of service "have been characterized by his conscientiousness and attention to detail" and whose family has given a total of more than 200 years of service to Cornell; and
• MaryAnn Diller, one of 36 Building Care head custodians, who has received the Building Care Excellent Attendance Award 14 times and the Golden Bear Award from Facilities Management in 2002; she is known "for her sense of humor, loyalty and dedication."

"For 41 years I have been a very satisfied customer of the Department of Building Care," said Bartels, noting that the appearance of the buildings and the friendly atmosphere created by Cornell's custodial staff make a positive, lasting impression.