Duane Grosse likes to stay busy and engaged with people, which is why his job as building systems technician at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln brings a smile to his face, and he makes it a point to make others smile, too.
“Meeting people and talking with them is my favorite part — and feeling like I’m part of a team,” he said. “I think that how we go about our lives, making others around us happy is really important, and that can be as simple as greeting someone at the door or saying ‘hello.’”
Most days, Grosse traverses campus carrying a modified painter’s stick that can reach up to the lights that illuminate the buildings. He uses the stick to push the test buttons on emergency lights, ensuring the bulbs are good and that they’re functioning properly. Other days, he might be doing maintenance in Memorial Stadium or cleaning the clay traps in the ceramics studio.
“When I first started, they told me to use a ladder (to check the lights), and I’m not afraid of heights, but that seemed like a lot of extra work and time, hauling a ladder around campus,” he said. “So, I modified this to work.”
Grosse is well-versed in molding things to his liking. He’s a masterful wood worker, creating pieces that are both functional and beautiful. He could spend his days in his wood shop, but he prefers the company of others.
“If I was spending all day in my shop, then it’s a job,” he said. “Here, I've made friends in all the different departments. I try to talk to people as much as I can.
“And I feel at home here. A lot of the buildings that I work in now are the same buildings that I was in when I was a student.”
He especially likes to work in Richards Hall, where he’s quick to chat with students and faculty and inquire about their latest projects. It’s a topic he knows personally — Grosse majored in art and journalism at Nebraska, graduating in 1980.
His main focus early in his career was through a camera lens. Following graduation, he pursued photography professionally and worked for a local photography shop, Images II, where he picked up knowledge about mechanics and electronics while working on cameras. Eventually, he took those skills to a company that manufactures pipe organs, and while working there, he earned an associate's degree from Southeast Community College in computer-aided drafting.
Today, he leans on all his collective skills to perform those behind-the-scenes tasks that keep campus systems functioning properly.
“The first day I started here, they asked me what I could do, and I said I could do a lot of things,” he said. “Working on camera equipment and organs, I got a pretty a good background in troubleshooting electronics and mechanical and pumps and motors — it was on a smaller scale, but still the same idea. I've never done drafting for UNL but spend quite a bit of time looking at prints.
“It’s funny, even my journalism background helps, because you have to question things and interact with people.”
Grosse has been working for the university 13 years now. At 71, he still has no plans to retire since he enjoys the daily conversations and exercise.
“During the week, most days I’m getting 13, 16, 18,000 steps a day,” he said. “And I like being able to walk outside, in and out of the buildings.
“After my wife passed away, I thought a lot about it, ‘why do I want to keep working?’ Well, I think I need to be around people. If I can still make a difference, that’s the best.”
