The Mans Name is Floyd by Mark Karpf

April 18, 2005

The Man’s name is Floyd.

When he’s not bent over a tractor or a lawnmower, he hovers at about 6 foot, 3 inches. He’s a bear of a man with the heart and determination of a loyal puppy. And while his paws may shake a little from the time and turning of the wrench, his knowledge is as steady as the out-rigged heavy machinery he works on.

Floyd is an 85-year-old mechanic from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Landscape Services on East Campus. He’s been a mechanic all his life, literally witnessing and working on the evolution of the internal combustion engine. He farmed with some of the first tractors in the 1930s, was an aircraft mechanic during World War II and has kept UNL’s machinery running for the last 21 years.

I met Floyd in September 2000 when I first started working at Landscape Services. One of the first opportunities I got to work with him was when he had to change a mower deck. The 13-foot foldable deck was awkward in size, easily tipping the scales at 250-300 pounds.

He asked me to help him move it, and before I could say anything he lifted a good two-thirds of the weight and deftly maneuvered it toward a pallet. As I quickly lifted as much as I could at my inopportune position, he had already moved the majority of the load.

I was truly amazed. Here was a man, 60 years my senior who’d easily moved a couple hundred pounds and wasn’t even breathing hard. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was in shock. I was embarrassed.

From then on, Floyd not only had my respect but also my admiration. I was in awe of his breadth of knowledge and strength. His ability to work on a simple tractor from 1965 and then on an over-complicated piece of equipment from 2005 is unfathomable. His capabilities and ingenuity are a rare find in this day and age.

Every day I worked at Landscape Services I made sure to always seek out Floyd and ask him how his day was going. His early morning gruff opinions and observations were always true and from an era that doesn’t know what politically correct is.

Floyd calls it like he sees it, which more often than not is a breath of fresh air at a higher education institute.

Floyd’s greatest gift is his ability and willingness to work alongside and teach college kids two generations younger. He’s taught countless students the dying art of metal cutting and fabricating, how to weld and use an acetylene torch, the difference between an open-ended box-end wrench and a combination box-end ratchet, as well as all the tricks of the trade. And he does it all with an eagerness rarely seen in the college classroom.

But if there is one thing that makes Floyd The Man, it’s his unbelievable work ethic. His determination and dedication to his job is something not seen in this day and age. He’s a throwback from a different era; when personal days didn’t exist, perfect attendance was a matter of pride and vacation time was saved, not used.

A perfect example of this happened about a year and a half ago. I was involved in a motorcycle accident on my way to Landscape Services. I banged up my knee and broke my back; I was out of work for six months.

About two months after my accident, Floyd was on his way to work for snow removal. He slipped on the predawn ice of his driveway and broke his pelvic bone, yet still showed up early for work. A broken pelvis eight decades old and he only missed six weeks before he was putting in his 40 hours.

A lesser man would have retired, but not Floyd. Once again I was amazed and once again I was embarrassed.

I’ve spent the last four years as an opinion columnist raging against The Man. And in my continual search of the news for corporate injustices and educational inequalities; my pondering and observations of society’s selfishness and greed; and my listening for the untold and unheard stories, I know I’ve barely scratched the surface.

But after the years of rhetoric and the thousands of words, I have finally discovered how to defeat The Man, write about a different kind of Man – a man who’s good, a man like Floyd.

I’ve learned more from Floyd’s knowledge, strength, work ethic and loyalty to his wife, his family, his country, his job and his dog than any class I’ve paid for.

And that’s why Floyd’s The Man.

*Jason's Great Uncle Floyd passed away this last Wednesday. This article was written a few years back and shared with us at his services today. It fits him perfectly and I thought it would be nice to share it here with you.

At our first meeting, he greeted me with open arms, blessed me at my wedding and when I gave birth, told me with great pride that I had a beautiful daughter.

He was a funny man who was both gruff and loving. Breathtakingly honest.. and I do mean breathtaking. Although polite and gentlemanly, he wasn't afraid to let a few harsh and blunt words flow freely.

Bless you Floyd. I will miss seeing you this coming holiday season.