Staff spotlight: Gary Washburn

Gary Washburn, a 10-year veteran of Middlebury’s custodial staff, has never been a stranger to long hours and hard work.

Born in Benson, Vt., a small town about 25 miles south of Middlebury, Gary grew up and worked on a dairy farm. He later attended Fair Haven Union High School and graduated in the Class of 1974.
Immediately after high school, Gary went to work on a farm in nearby Orwell, Vt. He worked there for about 11 years, becoming an expert at the job along the way.
After his 11-year stint in Orwell, Gary began managing a dairy farm in Leicester, Vt. Owned by an art dealer in New York City, the farm had about 175 milking cows — no small number for one man to manage.

During his time in Leicester, Gary did little in the way of sleeping. The only way to handle 175 milking cows is to hold long hours. And that is what he did, with days beginning as early as 3 a.m. and ending as late as 10 p.m. Of course, he wasn’t particularly unfamiliar with this schedule — he’d been doing this for a long time.

After managing the Leicester farm for some time, Gary decided to become an entrepreneur in the early 1990s by starting his own cow hoof trimming business. With cows spending less and less time in the pasture because of modern dairy farming techniques, they don’t naturally wear down their hooves anymore, which means they need to be trimmed twice a year.

Operating a hydraulic lift, Gary would tie the cows down and tip them on their sides, enabling him to use an electric grinder and an assortment of knives to trim the cows’ hooves. He ran the business for about a decade, sometimes with the help of one or another of his six daughters.

By the early 2000s, Gary couldn’t help but start thinking about his future, especially his retirement. He came to work for the College in 2001 and has now been here for nearly a decade, holding a variety of positions. He enjoys his work at Middlebury and loves helping out the students.

In his free time, Gary enjoys hunting and fishing. His favorite activity of all, however, is target archery.

Although not a big fan of watching TV, Gary enjoys NASCAR and the Outdoor Channel. On the radio, he listens to oldies, especially songs from the ’60s and ’70s. But if there’s one thing he tunes out of, it’s politics.

“I hate politics,” he said bluntly.

Not one for the self-interested, deal-making aspect of politics, Gary explained that he’s more of “the black-and-white type.” Things are either one way or another, he said.

Gary looks back on his farming career with a degree of mixed feelings. He certainly recognizes the difference now between working at the College and working on a farm.

“The hours are one thing,” he said. With farming, there’s not really any distinction between the end of one day and the beginning of the next, especially when you’re the one in charge, as he often was.

“Farming’s a constant struggle,” he said wearily.

Asked what advice he would impart to young college students, Gary thought for awhile — not an easy question to answer on-the-spot.

He took a deep breath and finally said, “Go with your gut feeling. Go after your dream. Don’t let anyone tell you not to.”