Marlyn Carpenter, a master auto/equipment technician in Facilities Management, has been named the recipient of the STAR Award for February 2009. Carpenter was nominated by Brenda Garza of the College of Nursing. The nomination of Carpenter follows:

“On Nov. 10, I went outside and realized that I had a problem with the car I drove in to work. I wasn’t really sure what to do. After a few minutes, I decided to call over to Fleet Vehicles and see if one of our mechanics had any ideas.

“I was lucky enough to touch base with Marlyn Carpenter. I explained to Marlyn what had happened. Marlyn was very pleasant, and even though he was actually getting ready to leave for the day, he said, ‘No problem. Where are you parked? I will be there in three minutes.’

“It was definitely cold outside, and the wind was getting wicked. When he drove over he spent some time in that cold, lying on the parking lot asphalt to fix my vehicle. This was the first time I had ever met or talked to Marlyn, and yet he was extremely gracious and helpful.

“When he was done, I thanked him for assisting and stated that this was definitely not in his job description. He said to me, ‘Well, if we can’t take care of our own, then what are we good for?’

“If that isn’t a UWO STAR, I don’t know what is. His commitment to UW Oshkosh and to providing good service (even though he didn’t have to) was definitely evident. I highly recommend Marlyn for the STAR award. He deserves it.”

Winners of the STAR Award receive a framed certificate, a reserved parking space for one month and a gift from University Books & More. The award for exceptional performance is presented each month to a member of the classified staff who has worked at least six months at UW Oshkosh.

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to contribute calendar items, campus announcements and other good news to UW Oshkosh Today. Click here to submit.