JORDAN BUDD
Special to The Leader
Wayne Seabolt, a custodian at SUNY Fredonia, had walked 10,000 steps or more for 695 consecutive days. That’s almost two years straight of stepping more than three times the amount of an average American.
This fine streak came to an end when Seabolt took a medical leave at the start of the Spring 2023. He has since returned to his work, inspired to start a lofty, new stretch of steps.
The custodian, who has moved around a lot within his 22 years of work at Fredonia, originally came to McEwen Hall looking for a change in scenery.
Seabolt quickly found fresh faces and different people to interact with. After a few years of McEwen experience under his belt, the custodian finds it to be one of the friendlier environments he’s worked in.
Seabolt said, “As far as students and staff go, everybody’s kind, courteous to one another, easy to talk to [and] easy to approach.”
The feelings are mutual from the communication department faculty, whose offices are located in McEwen.
Julie O’Connor, the department’s secretary, said “Wayne’s great,” describing the custodian as someone who is “awesome to work with.”
Angela McGowan-Kirsch, an associate professor in the department, finds Seabolt to be more than helpful when it comes to locating office equipment and furniture.
Throughout his routine, Seabolt goes out of his way to help those around him. McGowan appreciates how the friendly colleague has tended to Room 201, a space she often teaches in. Seabolt updates the desks, turns the heat and lights on in the morning and always makes sure that the room is ready for students to use.
Cleaning the room beforehand isn’t a part of his job, but that doesn’t stop Seabolt from taking the extra step forward.
Professor Mike Igoe sees Seabolt as someone who has made his mark on the department, describing the hard worker as consistent, accessible, congenial and respectful.
“If you have a need, not only is he willing to do it for you, he takes care of it right away,” Igoe said. “He’s always pleasant to talk to. He always says hi to you … and spends a few minutes chatting with you.”
McGowan said Seabolt often wraps up their conversations saying, “I hope I didn’t talk your ear off,” even though she certainly doesn’t mind making conversation with the good-hearted man.
Seabolt appreciates his move to McEwen, admitting that it’s a lot easier to get his work done in a positive environment. In this way, his motivation stems from the simple fact that he enjoys coming to work.
His ambitious stride only increases when he gets off of work, as he takes the same Merrell hiking boots he wears in McEwen to the trails. He exercises these daily 10,000-step efforts while exploring local trails with his fellow adventurer and wife, Kim Seabolt.
The two have taken a liking to nature blog, Outside Chronicles’ WNY Hiking Challenge, a coordinated effort to provide the tools, education and motivation to get people on the trails.
The blog has raised over $235,000 for local environmental projects. The Seabolt couple are a part of that worthy endeavor.
The rhythm of Seabolt’s steps isn’t the only beat that keeps him going.
Nine Inch Nails, Spoon, Queen, Slipknot, Cage the Elephant, Beck, Aerosmith, Bob Seeger, Rob Zombie, Keith Urban and Billy Idol are only a fraction of the artists Seabolt has seen live in concert.
He’s excited to talk about his seemingly never-ending list of concert experiences. Seabolt centers on alternative rock, but likes all types of music.
His love for music is often expressed when his sanitation route meets the campus radio station.
While working at the station over the summer, Halle Cook, a senior education major, was lonely in the McEwen-turned-ghost-town.
She says that Seabolt “was a very kind man and he kept [her] company during those dull three months.”
She always looked forward to his visits during the summer and made plenty of conversations with the custodian. They talked about the history of Fredonia, his holiday blow-mold collection, plastic decorations that went out of style in the inflatable era, his travels and, of course, the WNY Hiking Challenge.
The two hikers connected. Hearing all about the local trails from Seabolt, Cook was interested in the challenge.
She said, “Instead of telling me to register and buy the map, he comes into the station the next day with a big fat stack of papers. All of them were maps for trails … Wayne copied his whole packet just for me.”
Cook describes how special the packet is, as it includes “hidden treasure trails” — ones you would only know about with the map in hand.
She really appreciates this act, as she’s already working her way through some of the paths.
Thinking back on these experiences, she couldn’t help but smile. Thanks to Seabolt, there was always someone checking in on her, making sure the station was okay and that she wasn’t too lonesome.
Cook said, “He [tended] to say during our conversations, ‘I’m talking your ear off aren’t I?’ and then start to get up. He had no idea how much I looked forward to having a friend come and visit me.”
If you’re lucky like Cook and happen to strike up a conversation with Seabolt, you’ll likely get a sense of his devotion to family.
Cook says that Wayne “loves his family and you can tell when you talk to him. He loves talking about his kids and his wife. They are good people, you can just tell.”
The custodian, a family man at heart, originally came to work at SUNY Fredonia in order to spend more time with his three kids.
In particular, he and his daughter bond over their shared love for music. They take turns seeing each other’s favorite bands live.
They’ve got a good thing going, Guns N’ Roses for her, Red Hot Chili Peppers for him and Slipknot’s Knotfest for the both of them.
He often listens to music at work as well, shuffling through a broad variety of genres on Pandora. Who knows what tunes he’ll get into on a day-to-day basis?
If you’re up early at McEwen with a stroke of good fortune, you’ll cross the likable Seabolt.
There’s no telling what help he’ll be providing, coasting around on the floor cleaner, carefully handling the wastebaskets or maybe even brewing up a fresh cup of joe in his basement-located office.
One thing is for sure: his pleasant greetings, easygoing conversations and dedicated efforts are diligently ready to brighten your day.
If he bids you farewell saying that he “talked your ear off,” be sure to let him know how you really feel, as we could all learn a little from Seabolt’s kind personality.
Don’t be afraid to “talk his ear off” as well, as multiple sources mention positive experiences in their impromptu conversations.
If we follow in his goodwill-filled footsteps, the campus would change for the better.
Thanks, Wayne.