Campus Connection

John Davis describes himself as an extremely religious exerciser, so it was no surprise to find him at REC Monday, Jan. 11 when the power throughout campus went out. “I was thinking I hope they get the power back on before I finish my workout,” he recalls. The power was expected to be out for about two hours after a squirrel got into a transformer. Davis has worked on campus for the past 25 years as a producer for Wisconsin Public Radio. For the first 15 he walked around campus; however a progressive neuromuscular disease has made that difficult, so now he gets around in a wheelchair. The power outage created a predicament, as Davis was on the 2nd floor of the REC and no power meant the elevator wasn’t working. “I think my chair was about the only thing in the place that had power,” jokes Davis. “But I never felt stranded.” That’s thanks in part to a familiar face for Davis – Mo McAlpine, UWL’s Associate Rec Sports Director. Immediately after the power went out, McAlpine started collaborating with several UWL colleagues on a plan to get Davis down. “It was truly amazing how people literally flocked to the REC to help John,” says McAlpine. “In a matter of moments and a couple of phone calls by Scott Konze and Rob Hamman, we had 12 people standing in the lobby offering assistance.” The ideas were wide-ranging, including carrying the 300-plus pound electric wheelchair down the stairs. “I was overwhelmed as to how much the people listed below truly cared about John and were willing to do whatever it took,” she says. “It’s a reminder of how fortunate we are to work at UWL and be surrounded by such great people.” Davis was eventually helped down by the La Crosse Fire Department ,Tri-State Ambulance and the following staff members: • Facilities: Scott Konze, Jacob Buhl, Mike Durand, Jeff Munson, Tom Phelps, Corey Pettis, Scott Sonnenburg • University Centers: Bob Meyer, Dave Langteau • Rec Sports: John Sandry, Sheri Ott, Brett Simon (student staff member) • University Centers & Rec Sports: Rob Hamann (custodial supervisor for both units) • University Police: Dave Pehl, Adrian Meyer “It’s not the easiest thing being in a wheelchair, a lot of people shy away,” says Davis. “So it’s nice to have somebody who’s coming toward you and offering a hand to help – and we certainly have a lot of those folks here at UWL.” And being the regular exerciser he is, Davis continues to return to the REC as usual. He just hopes the squirrels stay away from the transformers.