Beyond Your Six Words: “Stuck on elevator with Kirk Kirksey”
Seventy-five years, your story, six words
As part of UT Southwestern’s 75th anniversary campaign, we’re inviting you to share your own six-word story, one that reflects your experience at UT Southwestern. Maybe you want to share a memory, explain your daily work, recognize a colleague, look to the future, or highlight an accomplishment or an outstanding memory. No matter what you write, relate it to UT Southwestern and limit it to six words.
When it’s ready, send your six-word story to 75years@utsouthwestern.edu (include your name, department, and years at UTSW with your email). We’ll pick our favorites to share via social media and various other communications as part of the 75th anniversary campaign. We might even include it in this new occasional feature, which will introduce you to the people behind these six-word tales.
Who: Bruce Clark, Enterprise Systems Administrator
His six-word story: “Stuck on elevator with Kirk Kirksey.”
More than a dozen years ago, in the early 2000s, the Information Resources Department was celebrating a key accomplishment. UT Southwestern’s Vice President of Information Resources was Kirk Kirksey, and he was treating his employees to lunch at the Faculty Club, located on the fourth floor at South Campus. (At the time of his retirement last year, Mr. Kirksey served more than two decades with the institution.)
Bruce Clark, now an Enterprise Systems Administrator, stepped onto an elevator with Mr. Kirksey and about 10 others in the Department.
“We all piled on, with Kirk and myself being the last two to get on,” Mr. Clark said. “The doors closed and the elevator started to make its ascent up a couple of floors – at least it tried. The elevator kind of bounced and then stopped – with the doors still closed.”
They realized they had probably surpassed the weight limit of the elevator. They waited for a few moments, and nothing happened. Mr. Kirksey was the closest to the emergency phone, so he reached for it and dialed the operator – which was not easy, considering the group had packed themselves very tightly into the elevator.
“We heard Kirk say, ‘Yes, my name is Kirk Kirksey – K-I-R-K-S-E-Y – there is a group of us stuck on an elevator. How many? About 10 of us. Yes, 10. No, I’m not sure which elevator or which floor we are stuck on, but we are on our way up to the Faculty Club. OK, thank you. Bye.’”
Despite the fact that the group could hardly move, Mr. Kirksey kept the atmosphere light.
“It seemed like forever, but Kirk, with his sense of humor, and with the help of a few other wannabe comedians, kept things less tense,” Mr. Clark said.
About 10 minutes after the initial jolt, the phone rang again.
“Kirk’s side of the conversation went like this: ‘Yes, this is Kirk Kirksey. Yes, we are all still here!’ Then he hung up again,” Mr. Clark said.
About a minute later, the elevator jumped again, moved slightly, and the door opened.
“We took the stairs the rest of the way,” Mr. Clark said.
Mr. Clark started his career at UT Southwestern as a Desktop Support Specialist with Zale Lipshy University Hospital in 1991. He went on to supervise the help desk and then join the Network Support team. In 2003, Zale Lipshy University Hospital combined administrative functions with UT Southwestern and Mr. Clark joined as an Enterprise Network Administrator. The team oversees the deployment of about 400 software applications to over 8,000 workstations and wireless devices, as well as the remote and virtual computing needs of the institution.
“I focus more on the application deployment, creating install packages for applications and working with analysts to deploy their software,” Mr. Clark said.
For Mr. Clark, UT Southwestern has been a stable workplace for the past 27 years. But he’s also enjoyed making friends and memories like the one described in his six-word story.
“The people I work with and the friends I’ve made along the way have been exceptional,” he said. “Many have become lifelong friends. When you spend 40 or more hours each week at your work, it’s a blessing to have such a knowledgeable and enjoyable group to work with.”