The Pioneer recently sat down with mother-daughter team Shirley Harper and Julie Shuster, who work as custodians for Whitman. Shirley, who currently works in Prentiss Hall, has been working at Whitman for 16 years, and was the first full-time, year-round custodian at Whitman. This month will mark Julie’s third year at Whitman. Julie works in the Interest Houses and Tamarac.

Pioneer: Tell me about yourselves.
Julie: I’m pretty much a family person. Me and my husband and son do outdoors stuff. I’m very outgoing, and I guess you’d qualify me as bubbly. I am an avid, avid reader. A very big animal lover. I cry when the animal dies in the movie, and not the people.
Shirley: Julie and I are a lot alike. I love animals, my family and my grandchildren. I love walking and being outside.
J: And we love chocolate.
S: And I love chickens.

P: What brought you to Whitman?
S: I was working in retail, and I needed a change. I had been a cook before and there was an opening in the Prentiss dining room. At that time, Whitman still had food services. So I applied and got the job. But I was only working 32 hours a week and I wanted something full-time. The following summer there was an opening, and I decided to go full-time custodial. I’ve been here ever since.
J: I was a preschool teacher for 10 years and the preschool that I was in was closing at the time. They needed someone at Whitman to fill in for someone who was no longer here. My husband and I made this decision that we needed a change: and I needed a change:
S: And I told her to apply.
J: : So I applied for the temporary position. The permanent position came open in May and I got that job. I still miss preschool though.
S: The students are just bigger here, Julie.

P: How is working together?
J: We have a lot of fun. We both have such different personalities that we mesh really well together.
S: Julie’s quite bubbly.
J: And she’s more reserved. I’m a little more straightforward and out there than Mom is.
S: I think I actually kind of help Julie out. I hope I do.
J: No. Well, actually she’s a real good source of information.

P: What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen at Whitman so far?
J: I don’t know if I can repeat a couple of ’em. A couple of them have just been bad.
S: I’ve had birds in the interest houses, in the old Japanese house. The best thing was in the summertime once, we found baby kittens.
J: One time we were pulling out a stove, and a mouse came out, and Andrea [a coworker] about jumped out of her skin.

P: What do you like about working at Whitman?
J: The students. Interacting with everybody.
S: I love being here with the students because my children are grown, so it’s fun to be here. I like what we do for the residents. I believe in really helping others and I think that’s what we’re really all about.
J: We have a good time.
S: We love working here.
J: Our nickname is fruits and nuts.
S: I wouldn’t want to be anyplace else.