Page 10 - UMN Chemnews December 2020

Three key staff members retire with a combined 77 years of service... continued from page 9
ing the presenters, taking selfies as they leave, and sending us notes of thanks.”
Eileen said that she also enjoyed working with the graduate students and post-docs volunteer- ing or working for the show, some of whom returned year-after-year.
“I have met so many wonderful students over the years. What a great pleasure,” she said. “They, too, care passionately about outreach, and are an inspiration to the next generation of scientists. I’m going to miss Aaron Massari and all of the presenters, Joe Franek, and
the amazing people from the Department of Theatre, Arts, and Dance.”
Professor and UMN Vice President for Research Christopher Cramer says of Eileen, “It is simply essential that operations like ours
have robust internal and external communica- tions strategies, and she has helped move our department to the next level with expertise and creative flair,” adding that Eileen “has been a key player in making chemistry an exemplar for other departments on this front.”
Eileen has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications, spending many years as a newspaper editor and graphic designer, before branching into public relations/marketing for 16+ years with a city and school district and then joining the Department of Chemistry. She is Accredited in Public Relations and has a Master in Public Affairs from the Humphrey School. She is also an ordained deacon in
the Episcopal Church in Minnesota, serving Trinity Episcopal Church in Anoka.
“As I retire from the University of Minnesota, I hope to spend more time serving as a deacon before my husband retires in about a year
and we move to our beloved second home in Oregon,” Eileen said. “I have enjoyed learning how to do new things. I have enjoyed working through the challenges. I have enjoyed writing about the department’s people and their accomplishments—so humbling. I am going to miss my colleagues and friends. Thanks
to everyone in the Department of Chemistry who has made working here a tremendous experience.”
Victor Munsch: Shipping, receiving, stockroom guru
Victor “Vic” Munsch
VICTOR “VIC” MUNSCH is retiring after 41 years
of outstanding service with the Department of Chemistry. He started working for the department on Sept. 4, 1979, just
handwritten and taken to the accounting of- fice where charges were made to the appropri- ate budgets. That system evolved into punch cards and ticker tapes. Computers arrived in 1983—a system called Heath Kits with green and orange screens. Eventually that evolved into Chembiz, the current sales system.
Forty-one years of service has resulted in many memories and colleagues who have become treasured friends. Victor was hired by Lorville “Andy” Anderson, and he worked alongside Mike Kurth in the stockroom and Dale Randall in the teaching labs. Dale became
the supervisor in October 1984, and Vic was hired as stockroom manager when Dale retired in 2008.
“The three of us have worked together in some form for all these years,” said Victor. “Even after retirement, Dale and Mike came back as casual hires. I owe much to Mike and Dale. I would not have been able to keep the stockroom operating as well without their help over all these years. They mean a lot to me.”
Victor has also developed important relation- ships with external vendors.
“As manager, I discovered early how import- ant it was to build relationships with external vendors,” he said. “I told them my job was not only to save the University grant money, but I would be saving our own tax dollars at
“I love working with Vic. His logistical skills and instincts are a benefit to us all.”
—Chuck Tomlinson, director of Operations.
the same time. I feel my good rapport with the many vendors that I dealt with on a day- to-day basis has helped keep the stockroom pricing in check through the years.”
Victor cares deeply about the Department
of Chemistry and University. Shortly after
the campus closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19, he coordinated a donation from the Chemistry Research Stockroom to the University of Minnesota’s effort to collect per- sonal protection equipment (PPE) and other supplies to support medical providers and COVID-19 researchers on campus. A total
of 120 cases of gloves and several other items were collected and donated.
Recently, Victor leveraged his connections with vendors to help obtain 50,000+ pieces
three days after his marriage to wife Rose. He worked for more than 28 years in shipping and receiving and more than 12 years manag- ing the Chemistry Research Stockroom.
Not too bad for what was supposed to be a temporary job for a two-year period while
Vic waited for his wife to graduate from the University of Minnesota’s Saint Paul cam-
pus. Vic and Rose met at the University of Minnesota Crookston where he received an as- sociate degree in parks and recreation, initially planning to become a National Park Ranger.
After Rose graduated, they started a family and, “the next thing I knew, I had been here for 10 years, deciding to make a career of it,” said Vic.
Over his 41 years in the chemistry depart- ment, Victor has seen many changes, includ- ing the growth of the stockroom. For example, he has seen many evolutions on how stock- room sales were processed. Sales were once
10 Chemnews December 2020