Radford University - Beehive Yearbook (Radford, VA)

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Working for fun and pay at Busch It's the end of another year at Radford University. The car is packed from floorboard to headliner and the trunk couldn’t hold another pencil. Parents are patiently waiting as their son or daughter give summer good-byes to their frienas and dear old RU. As they make their way back home, many students know the entire summer won’t be scheduled with relaxing and fun in the sun, but instead a consistent three-month work overload to earn extra dollars for the next school year. To many, it’s probably a grim thought to be working at the same place and seeing the same people for only minumum salary, but a few students here at Radford work at a place that hires some 1,600 employees and enables them to meet any number of new people everyday. The working area for this vast number of employees spans across a two mile area known as the Old Country, Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens offers a variety of summer jobs in departments such as food and beverage, live entertainment and operations, to name a few. An employee may be a sweeper or hostess, cook food in one of different restaurants, operate a ride or just spend his entire time inside a costume enter taining guests. Several Radford students have said Busch Gardens is such a unique place to work that it basically motivates them into going back from year to year. Kathy Dossett, a junior at Radford, works as a student assistant on campus. She has worked in the food and beverage department at Busch Gardens for four years. Her work location in the park was at the Barbecue Pits in “The Country of New France.” Dossett said she would often work 55 to 60 hours a week, twelve hours a day but she also said, “When com- filiments are received rom guests it makes the work all worthwhile.” A designated costume must be worn by all employees for each of seven countries at Busch Gardens and Dossett said, “1 felt like I assumed a job of superw'oman in my uniform. I sensed a responsibility for the good time of people and even when I was in a bad mood I never would show it because I knew my moods shouldn’t be taken out on guests.” Dossett said Busch Gardens provides opportunity to meet more people and do more than she would ever experience in any summer. A European locomotive rhugs across tne park. Visitors enjoy the Rhine River Cruise as the Loch Ness Monster snakes throujeh Scotland. Italian entertainers entertain visitors. 20 Student Life Feature

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Laughter, tears and sunshine May 23, 1981. A day full of promise, high expectations and energetic anxiety. A day filled with emotional exchanges between graduates and relatives, and graduates and friends. A day they hated to see end, for this ending meant the end of good times and the beginning of hard times. It meant stepping into a world of uncertainty — uncertainty about work, about marriage, and about life itself. Yet, nothing, not even the threat of an uncertain future could rain on their parade. For their day was a special one, surpassing what must be a Radford graduation tradition — rain. Under clear blue skies and in the warmth of the sun, parents helped thejr graduates adjust their caps and straighten their gowns, determined to make their son’s or daughter’s appearance as perfect as the day. With their tassels straightened, their traditional black robes neatly in place, and a nervous fluttering wallowing in Sherril Stull waits patiently among fellow students to receive her diploma. This R.U. student expresses her appreciation in a special way. the pits of their stomachs, the class of ’81 filed past family and friends on the lawn of McConnell Library to await the culmination of long years of study — a degree. As he stood before the 783 graduates, the largest graduating class in Radford’s historv, President Donald Dedmon delivered a short opening speech comparing the day’s sunshine to rainy days past. While they listened, each couldn’t help but recall his past at Radford — roommates, dates, friends, papers, classes, exams, long lines, frustrations, tears, laughter, freshman anxiety and, at last, senior confidence. With the call of his name, each was brought back to the reality of the day as he ascended the stage to receive his long-awaited degree. When the ceremony was over they couldn’t help but feel a mixture of sadness and joy as they bid farewell to close friends and the freedom of college life. Writh love in their hearts and proud smiles beaming on their faces, each ran into the open arms of loved ones as their brains softly throbbed, “I made it. I finally made it.” Graduation 19

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jy of Busrb Entertainment Students at Busch 21 This job’s for you V s « ' — • Another former Busch Gardens employee at Radford is Mildred Williams. Williams is a junior and is majoring in special education. She is currently working on Stuart first floor as resident assistant. For the past three summers, Williams has been floundering about the Old Country as a costume character for the live entertainment department, trying her best to keep guests entertained. She considered herself “the friendly welcome wagon of Busch Gardens” because the heart of her job was to interact with people and make them happy. Williams wore the costume of ‘'Tallulah” the frog and when she climbed into her costume she said, “I could be somebody 1 wasn’t. 1 used all my creative ability to make guests laugh even when it was 85 to 90 degrees outside”. Williams wasn’t required to wear the costume for eight hours a day. She said her work intervals were for thirty minutes and then she would climb out of her world of make-believe and take a thirty minute bread. Williams said. “I felt proud being a costume character because I felt exceptional and unique.” Donna Joyce, another Radford junior, is major- ing in office administration and is a work-study student in the office of Residential Life. Joyce has been working the past three summers for the operations department. She’s one of a thirteen-person team who oversees Lezmans race ears in “Country of France”. Her work week consisted of approximately 55 hours, ten hours a day. Joyce enjoyed working at this location because she could stay outside all day and work on her “farmer’s tan”. Her job involved a tremendous amount of running because she had to direct guests to the curs, assure their safety and direct them from the ride. Joyce said she would meet people all over the country and from foreign countries which sometimes caused communication problems. She said, “It’s hard to tell an Iranian to exit to your left because they have no idea of what you’re talking about”. Radford students who have worked at Busch Gardens feel genuine warmth toward employees and guests. They believe Busch Gardens looks out for its former employees by offering to rehire them each year and generally tries to help high school and college students by offering them summer work. German 'lancer perform folk dance in front of the Festhaus. Animal characters make friends of strangers.