And The Award Goes To….

Mr. Bill Deem for being the Best Boss Ever!!!! Yeah, I know this is an unusual statement, but I am sad that my boss has retired.  Last Thursday was his last day after 38 years of work. I wont say how old that makes him, or he’ll remind me exactly how many years I have until I retire. Ugh.

Bill hired me a little over two and a half years ago to work in the Base Safety Office as a Safety Specialist.  I had some background in safety but wasnt fully aware of what it entailed. I felt instantly at ease with the other employees and confident that I could trust my boss.  He has always done what he said he was going to do and has helped me advance as a person and employee.  He supported me when I lost Gigi and gave me that gentle push to face the public again when I was terrified to.  He was my biggest cheerleader when it came to my accomplishments and the best teacher when it came to areas that I wasnt up to speed on…which were and still are a lot!

He taught me that Buck Owens is Buck Owens, and you can only go through Death Valley to get to Trona (other than Ridgecrest).  He supported me when I requested leave without pay in order to spend more time with Roman when I realized he was growing up way to fast. He let me take day’s off to play in the snow with Roman.  He knew all of his employee’s in and out, and how to best manage them individually.  He knew that I would probably come into work sometime that week and tell him I needed to leave…in 15 minutes, but he was always understanding and never made me feel bad for it.  He gave me advice that I think were sometime from personal experiences. He encouraged my academic hunger and facilitated payment for it.  He told me the meaning of “whistle britches”…which I still need to talk to my dad about since he used to call me that, and brough pomegranates from his tree in for the office to have. He made the best breakfast ever called Armadillo Eggs! Yum! I learned how to tell someone off without them knowing, and how to pick your battles.  This list could go on and on and on…. but there is so much. So much that he tried to teach and I havent mastered yet. Or things that I absolutely refuse to learn or agree with (Fresno is not good at football). Or things I just plain old missed.

The most import thing though is that he made me laugh. Every day I looked forward to the safety walk and the nuggets of wisdom he so generously shared with me.  Thanks Boss for making such a lasting impression, and giving me an example of an extraordinary boss! When I “own it all” I hope I’m half as good as you were.

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