Joe Schoonover loves to learn, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that one of the things he enjoys most about his job as security guard supervisor at Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology is talking to faculty members and students about their research. “It’s like a free education,” Schoonover said. Before joining the staff at Beckman more than 15 years ago, Schoonover studied criminal justice, fire technology and real estate; he’s worked as an EMT and a volunteer firefighter, owned a body shop for a while and taught martial arts in addition to coaching various youth sports teams.
Tell me what a typical work day is like for you.
I start the day checking my e-mail to make sure there isn’t anything that went on during the night that I need to know about. I walk through the entire building, and then I review the events for the next week or two and see if there’s anything that I need to let my guards know about or whether I need extra guards. I do another walk-through an hour or so later when people are starting to come in, so they can see me and know I’m around if they have any questions.
I’m the emergency call person 24 hours a day for the fire department and police department, if they have a problem. If there’s a problem while I’m here, I have a direct radio to the police department.
I also control the keys and key cards for everyone that comes through the building. I have about 2,800 people with access to the building and about 12,000 keys out.
How many guards do you have on staff?
Basically, I’ve got three full-time guards. We also have cameras inside and outside the building that we monitor, and we monitor the fire alarms. I also have my guards do inspections on fire extinguishers and first aid kits. We’re the first responders if somebody gets hurt.
What kinds of situations do you typically deal with?
We’ve had a few thefts here and there. We have caught a few people stealing stuff. A year ago I caught somebody trying to take out a $5,000 sculpture. Overall, we just try to make sure that everybody feels comfortable here.
What’s your favorite part of what you do?
I enjoy talking to the people. I enjoy working with the students, the professors. They’re all unique. I’ve become like a father figure to some of them. I get to see an average of 300 to 400 new people each year.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?
Just trying to make sure that a building with over 300,000 square feet doesn’t miss anything. I like trying to keep people out of trouble.
What kinds of things do you like to do when you’re not working?
The last year and a half I’ve been into woodworking. I like building things for kids: rocking horses, toys, repairing stuff. My wife keeps me busy because she’s always wanting a cabinet or something built. Hopefully when I retire I can do more woodworking.
I coached kids’ sports for more than 30 years: Little League, slow pitch and fast-pitch girls’ softball. I was an assistant coach for PeeWee football and 8th grade football. I also coached a semi-pro football team, the Champaign County Jaguars.
I was into martial arts – karate, Tai Chi and jiu jitsu – for about 20 years and an instructor for about 15 years. I hold a master’s rank in karate.
What got you interested in martial arts?
I was kind of a scrapper when I was young, and then when I was about 18 I got into karate thinking I was going to be a tough guy, but after about a year it changed me. I used to be a bit of a hothead, and it kind of brought me down to reality. It’s a different way of life. I had a very good friend who got killed, and then I got interested in teaching people self-defense.
I have four grandkids now, and I’m looking forward to maybe (teaching) them.