WAUKESHA – Jesse Rigsby, Waukesha, who has worked in maintenance at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha since February 2000, will spend his last day on the job on his birthday, June 16. After using up vacation time, he will start retirement in July.
Interrupted with spans in private industry, Rigsby has served the State of Wisconsin in a variety of capacities since 1969, when he moved to Waukesha from Rockford, Illinois, to accept a position at the boys’ school in Wales. Later, he became a law enforcement agent with the Department of Corrections, a custodial worker in the dorms at UW-Milwaukee, a clerk in the Department of Workforce Development (then Job Service), and a counselor in Veterans’ Affairs.
After graduating from high school in Camden, Arkansas, Rigsby, who wanted to be a pilot, started college at Shorter Junior College in Little Rock, AR, but transferred after a semester to Philander Smith College, also in Little Rock. He points out that the latter is the alma mater of former Green Bay Packer football star Elijah Pitts. Because money was becoming an issue, he dropped out and joined the Marine Corps, serving in supply administration. That included a tour in Viet Nam. When he moved to Wisconsin, he continued to pursue a degree in criminal justice at UW-Milwaukee and remains just 10 credits short of a bachelor’s – a gap he’ll consider closing when he is retired.
“I’ve enjoyed the ride here,” he reminisces. Once you join the “fraternity” that is UW-Waukesha, you become a life-long member, he says. “The people here are like a family. . . The staff is small, but we are tightly-knit. It’s great when you can work for somebody competent and that you like.” Some of his past positions have entailed a higher degree of responsibility, and he appreciates that staff throughout the campus respect him as a person rather than judge him by his job title. Also, he’s met students who were former clients in Corrections and is pleased to see that they are turning their lives around. “I’ll remain an advocate for the campus,” he says.
While Rigsby is retiring from UW-Waukesha, he’ll continue his other job: umpiring baseball for 11- to 16-year olds. He started that 28 years ago, working for Waukesha County. Although the county is out of that business now, he remains a member of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and spends many afternoon and weekend hours at local diamonds. A sports nut in general, he is especially passionate about baseball and expects to find more time for Miller Park and Busch Stadium, where his favorite teams play. He even will go out on a limb to predict the Green Bay Packers will be in the play-offs this year.
He’ll also have more time for his wife, Tess, and their nearly 4-year-old son, Jesse Jr. Tess is from the Philippines, and he’ll enjoy being able to visit there with the family – and stay longer. “I’ll be back to visit campus,” he promises as well.
UW-Waukesha has the largest enrollment among the 13 freshman-sophomore University of Wisconsin Colleges campuses. For information about programs, admission, or financial aid, contact the Student Services office at (262) 521-5200 or visit the Web at waukesha.uwc.edu.
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