Everything you need to know about the life philosophy and work ethic of Darold Spillman can be found inside his department’s kitchen nook.
There, the counters are spotless, the refrigerator is organized with military precision, and even the rumor of mold puts Spillman – an administrative aide at the Beckman Institute for three years – on high alert.
“There are mundane things in life you have to do, but they are the things that make a difference,” he said. “They are important.”
Kitchen detail is one of the few responsibilities that does not appear within Spillman’s job description. He took on the task voluntarily upon learning renovation plans in his office had not included an area for preparing employee meals because of concerns it wouldn’t be kept clean.
“I really had to convince them that it would be taken care of,” he said.
It wasn’t a hard sell.
Spillman has a track record of following through on his commitments dating back to a 24-year Air Force career, when he was involved in facilities management at bases in the United States and abroad before retiring a little over four years ago.
“I’ve picked up a lot along the way and I’ve related it to other things I’m familiar with,” he said. “Everything I do is a learning experience and I always want to do more.”
It’s been that way most of his life. Spillman grew up in a military household that preached personal responsibility and he learned early on the importance of following through.
That goes for everything from coordinating research for Beckman’s Strategic Initiative on Imaging – his main responsibility – to the office kitchen.
“Sometimes you learn things from people you didn’t expect, just by watching,” he said. “Every time I turn around, the little things I’ve learned have come back to help me.”
Take, for example, his high-school shop class, where he learned industrial arts skills that he has used in every job he’s ever had.
“That’s where I learned some of those skills and I’ve been doing it ever since,” he said. “I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without it.”
His almost accidental lesson in driving a forklift while in the military paid dividends immediately after retirement – when he landed a job making furniture because he already knew how to operate the lift.
And the only reason he knew how to operate a forklift was because there was no other option in the military but to learn it.
“I had to learn in Kuwait because we needed water and that was the only way to get it,” he said. “I did all these different jobs because I wanted to learn – and then it’s all a matter of how you relate things to life.”
Spillman wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after leaving the military – the only life he had ever really known.
“I had no clue what I wanted to do,” he said.
He had always been interested in architecture, and a Web search led him to the UI, where he began taking classes. With six children and a full-time job, the degree didn’t materialize – but an opportunity at the UI did, and he seized it.
His administrative aide title doesn’t really accurately describe all the things for which he’s responsible.
He helps manage and coordinate 20 researchers (including graduate, undergraduate and post-doctoral students, and research scientists) for the Biophotonic Imaging Laboratory, has administrative and budgeting duties for the imaging initiative, and is responsible for getting broken equipment repaired. He’s also the unit’s information technology manager.
The work is so far-flung that officials almost immediately had to change the job description to fit Spillman’s responsibilities.
“The old title didn’t really fit what I did, so we had to change it to something that encompasses more of what I’d be doing,” he said, adding that kitchen duties were never officially a part of either title.
“The responsibilities have actually grown since then,” he said.
Spillman said the mix of responsibilities is something he enjoys, along with working alongside students.
“Sometimes I can help further the discussion because I’ve got a lot of real-world experience,” he said. “I was dealing with generals in the Air Force. I’ll think of questions that nobody else thinks to ask. I’m able to have an influence that other people might not have and I’m able to contribute on almost every project.”
For example, Spillman’s cooking hobby came into play recently when researchers were having difficulties with an experiment containing collagen. He suggested considering the heat variations that affect collagen – something he learned in the kitchen.
“I’ve learned how to cook a lot of different foods, including Indian, Chinese and European,” he said.
Those skills were acquired as a child growing up in different regions – and honed when he joined the military and was forced to eat bland food during the first Gulf War.
“They just weren’t adding any spices,” he said. “Once they turned it up a notch, everyone was happy.”
He said he is proud to be involved with the work at Beckman – and being a part of the team of staff members that makes that happen.
“The support staff in this building is what makes this place run so well,” he said. “If we don’t do our specific jobs, the research could slow down or be stifled. That bothers me and it’s why I take my job so seriously.”
Spillman spends his time at home raising his children, ages 3 to 15. The family lives in Tuscola in a house that Spillman has renovated.
Although new in the community, Spillman was recently elected to serve on the school board, a job he takes very seriously.
“The people in the community were yearning for a change,” he said. “It made sense because I have a kid in every school.”
Spillman is providing his children’s most important lesson by example.
“We’re teaching our kids that you need to give back to people to be good citizens,” he said. “We help with things because that’s important and that’s what makes a community; helping people is one of the fun things in life.”
