friday takeout

Doug Stover

Maintenance Department | Peosta

What is something you have done that would surprise others who never knew?

Back in 1973, I met a girl from Kentucky who also had a love for skydiving. She had only jumped one time and dragged me into it, and I thought to myself, “What do I do now?” So, we trained for four hours and both went up in the plane; she jumped first, then me. I landed about two feet from my target, and she landed in a tree 100 feet off the ground! We had to call the fire department to come save her. After that, she never jumped again but I jumped seven more times at 3,500 feet. What a trip!

Share a truly “oops” moment.

I truly believe the biggest “oops” while growing up was that all through high school, I was always scared about being drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam – which is the last place I wanted to go. I just waited to see what would happen in the draft when I would become eligible. For three years my number was always in the 300's, and I would have been safe. Then, one year, I was working at Hartig’s (where the NICC Dubuque Center is now) and my mother stopped in to see me. She had a sly grin on her face and said she was sorry about my number, which happened to be number one. I said, “WHAT? and told her, "Why didn't you have me a day later?" She said that the next day after my birthday would have made me number two. I joined the Navy, served as a dental technician for four years in every field of dentistry and enjoyed my time there.

What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known as a kid?

I wish I had focused on my studies, instead of just goofing around and not caring about my future. If I had known how smart I really was and how well I would do in school 25 years later, things probably would have been much better for me later in life, working in a profession I enjoyed. I might have enjoyed a much better quality of life, instead of always struggling.

Do you believe that more technology in the classroom or in the world is helping students learn? If yes (or “no, it isn’t”), why?

I believe new technology should always be in classrooms. The more technology that students have access to, the more information they will retain. Community colleges should have a special fund for acquiring new technology because our school has such advanced courses in information technology.

Why did you choose your current profession?

I chose my current profession because I was working at FDL Foods in Dubuque for 11 years, and then the plant closed for good. I was frustrated with the way things were going with my life. I had purchased a new house a month after I started school at Northeast Iowa Community College, and I thought I was privileged. Here I was, going back to school after having been out of school for more than 25 years! NICC was good to me, and I graduated with a 3.4 grade point average. I was really looking forward to getting a job in the computer field, having spent two years in the Computer Analyst program. Six months before I graduated, I secured a position in the Maintenance department at the College. As I continuously searched for a career in computer science, I realized that the employment options were very slim in our area. I might have to move to a bigger city, and I really didn't want to. All said, Ron McClain, the Peosta campus plant director, offered me the job full-time and I accepted. I will retire in three months.