Features Michael Riley Staff Spotlight

dents, I know a few names, but then a lot of them I don’t know so I say, ‘Hey, how you doing?’ and they say, ‘Hi Mike.’ I say okay, I need to find out his name. I need to find out her name. Then I forget the next day, cause there are so many kids. It’s fun for me working here, I’m 65 years old, but I love being around the students. They make me feel young and happy. They make me happy. So I make them happy too.

Except where indicated by initials, all of the quotes in the profile are Riley’s. They have been lightly edited and rearranged to flow chronologically.

Working at Amherst

Caelen McQuilkin (CM): The first thing I wanted to ask you is, how long have you been working at the college?

Michael Riley (MR): I’ve been here for five years. I used to work at Amherst High School, across the way there, and I retired from there, and I saw an ad that said ‘part time job.’ I wasn’t ready to quit quite yet, so I decided to come over here and check it out. It’ll be five years in November — the Monday after Thanksgiving, I came here. And I love it here.

CM: What makes you love work- ing here?

MR: It starts with my colleagues. And the supervisors are so amazing. I’ve never worked for anyone like that before. I was kind of nervous about it when I first came here. I knew how to clean already, but they showed me how they do it. It was totally different. I started out in a dorm, they hired to me to work the night shift. [Today], I work the second shift, 2 [p.m.] to 10:30 [p.m.]. But I needed training, so they started me in the dorms… James, and across the way to Tyler and Marsh. That was my start.

And then I finally came here. I came to the Science Center, and I started seeing people, smiling, waving, saying hi. And they responded back. Professors are awesome here. Our students are the best. Every time they gradu- ate, I say, ‘When you graduate, I’m leaving with you. I’m gonna go.’ But then I meet first-year people, and I interact with them, and then I say, ‘Okay. I’m gonna wait four years until you leave, and then I’m leaving.’ They’re awesome, the students here are very awesome. They give me respect, they’re always speaking to me. I haven’t seen one that doesn’t speak to me.

In the science center, you see heads down, most of the time, typing on the computer. Doing their work. Sometimes they stop and get a break, and hang out with each other, and talk. But mostly, they are ‘bam.’ Banging it out, working hard… So that’s always awesome, that they take the time out. And, you know, sometimes they’re stressed — ‘aaghgh, I can’t do this, I’ve got a test, I’ve got a test’ — and I tell them, ‘This is what you signed up for. So go in there and do what you gotta do.’ I make them feel better about themselves, about doing their test, doing their theses or whatever they’re doing.

I like talking to them, you know, because I didn’t have the chance to go to college. And I have two daughters, one 20, and one 19. They’re both in college in Springfield, and also they’re working. So that’s awesome. I never got the chance, but I get to see them go. I’m always bragging with the kids here [about] them. How good they’re doing.

I’ve been here for five years, and know everybody. I don’t know names, but everybody knows my name. Everybody knows my name here. There’s so many stu-

[For example,] a girl came to me today. She said she was supposed to have an interview with someone, but they had left, and she couldn’t get in. So I let her in the office… I called the person up, and let her talk to them on my phone. And she appreciated it. That’s what I do for people. I just do things. I’m here for them when they need me. To put it this way: I protect the herd.

Growing up in Onanock, Virginia

MR: This is how I am. This is how I was brought up by my family in Virginia. My grandmother always told me, ‘It don’t cost nothing to speak. And just smile at someone.’ And when you smile at someone, they’re gonna appreciate you more, because they see that you are a very friendly and very caring person. So I took that with me through life. That’s my motto. Be happy, and see others be happy.

When I was younger, I always was the same way. In high school — same way. I made friends with everybody. And that was in the 60s … we had just become desegregated. White and Black people going to school together, so everybody was nervous. Like, ‘Oh man, I don’t want to go to school with no white kids, I don’t want to go to school with no Black kids.’ I got there, and bam, I made friends with everybody.

I guess high school was my greatest time. Because I got to interact with different cultures, different people. I was a class clown. In those things that are like ‘most likely to succeed’ and all that — I was ‘most friendly.’

I played football. I was on the football team, and I loved that. I loved doing that. So instead of college, I went to the military after. But still, when I go home to Virginia, a lot of my friends passed away but a lot of them are still there. And they can’t wait to see me come home. You know I had this nickname. All of the kids there had nicknames, but they don’t call them their nicknames anymore — except for me. Some people don’t even know my real name.

CM: What was the nickname?

MR: Frog Daddy.

(everyone laughing)

CM: Is there a story behind that?

MR: Yeah. I was on the football team. I got hurt, and I used to hop off the field. So that’s why they called me ‘frog.’ And a bunch of the girls said, ‘Okay, frog daddy.’ I said ‘Oh, wow.’ So every time I go home, ‘Frog Daddy! You’re home. How you doing?’ All that.

CM: Did you like the nickname?

MR: Oh yeah, I loved it. My daughters now, when they get mad at me, ‘FROG DADDY!’

(everyone laughing)

CM: That’s awesome.

MR: Then, after high school, I went to the military. Same thing — make them laugh. I made everybody calm. There were people that didn’t want to be there, just wanted to leave and run away.

‘You can’t do that,’ I said. ‘Just stick it out. This will be over soon,

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