Mario Moreno

When he graduated 40 years ago from the medical technology program at the former St. Paul University Hospital, Mario Moreno was immediately offered a job there. Just one catch: It was the night shift.

“I told the lab manager I wasn’t sure about the night shift, but I’d give it a try,” Mr. Moreno says.

Four decades later, he’s still working in the same department – and all of it has been on the night shift.

As a Senior Medical Technologist at Zale Lipshy University Hospital, Mr. Moreno performs patient lab testing. He is known as the guy to go to if you need an answer – or even a favor.

“My fellow employees might call me ‘crazy,’ but I think my sense of humor helps me in the job,” he says, “and I work with really good people.”

Here’s a taste of his sense of humor: Asked why he has stayed at UT Southwestern all these years, Mr. Moreno quips, “bills.”

“But working for a first-class institution is also important,” he clarifies, “and I expect the Medical Center to continue to grow and be known for advances in medicine for a long time to come.”

In the early years, Mr. Moreno says, working the night shift had some advantages: It was quieter, and traffic was easier to deal with. But as the Medical Center grew, so did the workload and area population. One thing that didn’t change, however, is his ability to spend a little time in the evenings with his wife of 37 years, Mary Jane, an Arlington schoolteacher, before heading to work.

The couple have two sons, one daughter, and five grandchildren. Mr. Moreno’s work schedule allows time to see them all, and to indulge in his other passions.

“When I was a teenager, I loved hard rock music,” he says, “and that hasn’t changed.”