a great life together

Each weekday morning at the ghastly hour of 5:30, the alarm clock awakens Jackie and Douglas Johnson and signals the beginning of yet another very full day. By 6:20, they’re on the road, riding side-by-side (with Douglas driving) in their Honda Accord, heading east from their comfortable home on Rt. 6 deep in Goochland County. Around 7, they pull in to the parking lot next to the Jacobs Gym at Collegiate. Rarely is another living soul stirring. Often, they greet the rising sun.

By the time the first bleary-eyed students arrive, however, Jackie and Douglas Johnson are well about the business of shaking the campus from its slumber. “It’s early,” said Douglas, who’s followed this regimen for 23 years, “but it’s part of the job. “Once you get used to it, it doesn’t bother you.”

The first order of business for Douglas is unlocking each of the outside doors on the buildings north of the creek. As he makes his rounds, he checks for anything that might be out of place or needs to be shored up during the day. Then, he reports to the shop area adjacent to the West Gymnasium and  assumes his role as the fix-it guy on campus.

“Anything that can be repaired – pencil sharpeners, windows, lockers, desks, doors – you name it, Douglas can fix it,” says Glen Dandridge, manager of transportation/maintenance. “No question, the time it would take me to call to get some of these things repaired, Douglas (whose official title is maintenance technician) already has the job done and is ready to move on to the next one.”

As Douglas begins his early tour of the campus, Jackie, who’s served on the housekeeping staff for almost 20 years, heads to the Student Activities Center where nighttime activities occasionally create the need for a quick cleanup first thing.

From there, she’s off to pick up the mail and deliver it to offices at the north end of campus as well as take care of the general cleanup before the other members of the staff arrive later in the morning.

“I just like making things look nice,” she said. Jackie also handles emergencies – and sometimes they’re not pretty sights – but she invariably arrives on the scene with a smile on her face and performs her task quickly, efficiently, and professionally.

“Jackie is always so willing to respond when we do get those calls,” says Dandridge.  “She takes care of things, and that’s the last we hear of it.”

Both natives of Goochland County, Jackie and Douglas met through Jackie’s brother Wilbur Athey, our projects and setups manager. “Douglas and I went to high school together and used to hang out,” said Athey. “He’d come to visit me.  That’s how he met Jackie.  Fell in love with the family, I guess.” 

The Johnsons have been married 23 years and have two children – daughter Latonya, 22, who works in child care, and son D.J., 18, a senior at Goochland High School. “Hard workers, just like their mom and dad,” added Athey.

It’s hardly all work and no play for the Johnson family. Douglas has a couple of hobbies that occupy his off-hours: automotive bodywork and hunting. In fact, he’s so passionate about hunting, a pastime that he and D.J. regularly share, that he trains his own dogs and at the moment has about 30, mostly blue tick beagles, that he’s raised since they were pups.

Jackie is content with more serene endeavors. She spends a lot of time helping her mother and sings in the Ebenezer Baptist Church choir. “And I really like staying home, watching TV, and reading my faith books,” she says.  “They really keep me going.” 

The most transcendent moment in the Johnsons’ association with Collegiate came a decade ago when an early morning fire at Douglas’s family’s home changed their lives. Though no one was seriously injured, his parents, two sisters, and several grandchildren were displaced.   D.J., who was there to catch the school bus, witnessed the scene.

“When Collegiate found out about it,” said Jackie.  “They stepped in, helped them find a new trailer, and furnished the entire thing. “When they finished, Douglas’s family didn’t have to buy anything. To think about it puts tears in my eyes. There’s no word for it but amazing.”

Each weekday afternoon at 4 o’clock, the Johnsons hop in their car and head home, their whirlwind day at Collegiate complete. Jackie is behind the wheel for the return trip, fitting for a husband and wife team that works together, shares together.

“Douglas and Jackie are a couple who enjoy what they do at work,” said Dandridge, “but the biggest thing is that they have a great life together. You couldn’t ask for any better.”