ONTARIO — Terry Davidson shows up to work every day full of enthusiasm. Whether he’s sweeping the hallways or joking with kids in the lunchroom, the Stingel Elementary School janitor is great at making people smile.
After 44 years of keeping school buildings clean and safe, Stingel’s most beloved custodian has decided to retire. He’ll finish his tenure with Ontario Local Schools at the end of March.
Davidson’s seven grandkids are counting down the days until he’s off the clock. But for him, it’s a bittersweet departure.
“It’s been a great experience here and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it,” he said. “I love my job and I love helping people.”
Davidson was hired to join the janitorial staff just a month after graduating from Ontario High School. He worked nights for 23 years at the old middle school building, then transferred to the day shift at Stingel Elementary.
While he began working full-time for the district in 1977, his career actually began even earlier, while he was still a student.
“From ninth grade to 12th, I worked every summer doing maintenance. I mowed grass out here in the summertime. I painted buildings. It was fun,” he recalled.
Being a school janitor is far from easy — from stripping and re-waxing floors in the summertime to cleaning up after a child becomes ill — but Davidson said he never once thought about leaving.
“Every day I think ‘Where did 44 years go?’,” he said. “No regrets.”
Since the onset of the pandemic, the work of a school custodian has become even more rigorous. Classrooms, desks, lunch tables and other areas are routinely sprayed down and disinfected. But Davidson doesn’t mind. He takes pride in protecting the health and safety of students and staff.
Davidson said he enjoys being a part of students’ lives and watching them grow up. He cherishes every high-five and every ‘thank you.’
Davidson has countless memories of students over the years, but one of his favorites was when he dressed up as Santa Claus at the elementary school — even though things didn’t go according to plan.
“My fake beard kept sliding down,” he said. “When the kids sat on my lap, they looked up and they said, ‘Mr. Davidson, we know who you are.’”
Fellow staff members described Davidson as a good friend and dedicated co-worker.
“He’d do anything in the world for you,” said Charlie Brinegar, a fellow daytime janitor.
Mark Johnson, a fourth grade teacher at Stingel Elementary, described Davidson is “a legend” in the district.
“He has an infectious laugh that makes people want to be around him. I have never shown up to school to find Terry in a bad mood,” Johnson said. “He is such a positive and happy person to be around. The students and staff all adore him.”
When Davidson talks about his time at Ontario, it’s clear the feeling is mutual. For him, the best part of the job is the relationships he’s made along the way.
“They’ve just been a blessing to me. You come into work every day and you hear about how they’ve been doing and they tell you their stories,” he said. “It’s more like a family and that’s what I’m going to remember the most.”
