Bill Halda won’t say he dislikes winter, even when faced with zero-degree weather and mounds of snow. The man responsible for UNMC’s snow removal admits that winter can be a “challenge” and sometimes gets “tough,” but ask Halda what the hardest part of his job is and with pride he’ll tell you that he loves it all.
For his upbeat attitude and sincere dedication, Halda is this month’s recipient of the Chancellor’s Gold and Silver ‘U’ Awards. Halda is the first person to receive both awards in the same month.
As a member of the grounds and labor crew at UNMC, Halda is responsible for all the outdoor upkeep on campus. He is the lead person of the grounds crew, and when the supervisor is gone Halda keeps the crew on task.
Though normal work hours are from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., sometimes the crew gets called to work in the middle of the night to start clearing snow from sidewalks and parking lots. Even when his days start at 2 a.m., Halda said, he tries to be the first person on the job.
“If there’s ice out there I’d hate to see someone fall down if I know I can stop it,” Halda said. “The wintertime is rough – the cold and the early hours – but I try to stay positive. A positive attitude makes positive work.”
Halda’s most memorable winter was the blizzard of 1975, when 11 to 19 inches of snow were dumped onto Omaha and scathing winds reached up to 60 mph. The grounds crew stayed at UNMC, sleeping on chairs and tables for three or four days in a row. Not because they were stranded, Halda said, but because they were working around the clock to clear snow.
Back then the crew forged into the cold, armed with shovels and buckets of salt, and there were no heaters in the few tractors they had. Now a fleet of snowblowers, tractors and trucks makes snow removal easier, and machines spread salt onto the sidewalks, Halda said.
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Title: lead person for grounds and labor Job responsibilities: in charge of the grounds crew when the supervisor is away; mowing, trimming, snow removal, any outdoors upkeep Joined UNMC: 1972 One day I’d like to: return to the Ozarks or Kansas City to see the Royals play. Greatest personal achievement: meeting and marrying his wife, Donna, who has since died and winning the Gold and Silver ‘U’ Awards. |
“Up until about the past month when the Child Development Center’s playground was upgraded with a rubber playing surface, Bill was at the center every single morning scooping pea gravel off the sidewalk and leveling off the playground area,” one nominator said. “The kids always love to see Bill. He always seems to have a smile on his face and a kind word for the kids and their parents.”
Another nominator said, “In the harsh winter of 2000-2001, Bill arrived before the others and was ready to start the task, regardless of the early hours or after hours.”
Despite the accolades, Halda doesn’t want to take all the credit for his hard work.
“It’s not a one-man job, it’s teamwork,” Halda said. “When you get done with your work, you help the others, and everyone leaves at the same time.”
When he’s not tending to UNMC’s grounds or taking care of his own yard, Halda loves hockey, going to the dog track, polka music and Nebraska football. He has three children, Frank, Mary and Suzie, and four grandchildren.
Being honored with the Gold and Silver ‘U’ Awards for work he enjoys was a shock to Halda.
“It didn’t soak into my head for days. I didn’t think anything like that could happen to me,” Halda said. “This is the biggest thing, I think, that’s happened in my life.