When we were learning from Poynter instructor Al Tompkins today about various technologies and electronic possibilities that were making our heads spin, he said something that struck a chord with me: Don't be afraid to do stories about the average person. After all, most of our readers are average people, and who doesn't like the everyman? The Joe Blue-collars of the world?
It is in this spirit -- and in the spirit of doing something a little different -- that I present to you Mr. Steve Swafford.
Steve (pardon the informal address, but we're talking about Mr. Everyman here) is the evening security guard at The Poynter Institute. Monday through Friday, 4:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Steve is responsible for maintaining the physical integrity of this beloved journalism institution. In layman's terms, he makes sure the people who are there are supposed to be there.
When he has some down time, he watches the Tampa Bay Rays games and shakes his head at the lousy officiating. You can bet some umpires would make the right calls if Steve got in their ear about it (Yes, that's a warning, Jim Joyce).
We've seen Steve most days we've been here, but no one's really gotten to know much about him. For my classmates, I'm laying the cards out on the table.
NAME: Steve "Sweetness" SwaffordOCCUPATION: Evening sheriff and lawman at the Poynter Institute; He'll have been there a year in July
INTERESTS: He likes fishing. He used to go trout fishing all the time, but there isn't any opportunities for that in Florida. Now he's learning saltwater fishing ("I have some tutors for that"). He doesn't own his own boat, but his brothers and some of his friends do. "Other than that, just relaxing and kicking back," he says. Steve is a chill guy.
FAVORITE BANDS: Steve has a lot of favorite bands -- too many to choose one. His favorite genre of music is classic rock, and he cites Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd as two groups he would jam out to. He's never been much of a Rolling Stones guy, though. I might dig into why that is later.
FAVORITE FOOD: He loves Mexican, but where does a guy like Steve go for his grub? "Oh, Los Mariachis," he says without hesitation. "Their chimichangas are the best I've ever had."
WHAT HE LOVES ABOUT HIS JOB: "I like it all," Steve says.
"The people here are all great, the atmosphere is good, the working conditions are good, I have a good crew working under me -- there's a lot of things I love about this job," he says. "But I like the people the most though. I meet people from all over the world."
Me? I'm just glad I finally got to meet Steve.
I would just like to say Steve and I kick it all the time.
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