Asunsolo lights up Santa Clara

By Patricia Ho

For the past 17 years, the now-retired facilities man Joseph F. Asunsolo has been illuminating the Santa Clara campus in more ways than one.

Asunsolo joined the university in 1986 and did tasks like fixing roof leaks and building maintenance work. His main charge, however, was making sure lights in all the buildings were functioning. "I was known as the light man, the man with the juice," Asunsolo recalls with a chuckle.

His involvement in the community, however, went above and beyond the call of duty. Asunsolo joined the then lagging Santa Clara Community Action Program's (SCCAP) Morning Ministry and breathed life into it.

"The program wasn't going anywhere, on account that not many people want to get up at 5:30 in the morning to feed street people. So I took it over," he said of this commitment that he eventually participated in for 14 years.

Matt Cameron, the director of Benson Center who has known Asunsolo for almost all of the 17 years, is quick to praise Asunsolo's commitment to Morning Ministry. "He was what I would call the 'team leader'," said Cameron who got involved in the program through Asunsolo. "He bugged me for months to go and I finally gave in. And I'm glad I did."

On Saturdays, volunteers would get up as early as five in the morning to cook and deliver food like sandwiches, oatmeal and scrambled eggs with chorizo to homeless people who lived "under the bridge."

"Joe's a special person," said Cameron. "He really cares about people and it doesn't matter what walk of life they come from. He's got a great heart."

Asunsolo recalls these trips with much fondness. "I used to wear a hat with pins on it and I would put on a fatigue vest," he said of his efforts to blend in with the homeless and to help them feel more at ease. "I would start by offering them a cup of coffee and ask how they were doing."

On campus, Asunsolo displayed the same amount of care and commitment.

"Joe was assigned to Benson Center, to come through here once a week and just change light bulbs," said Cameron. "He did that, but he took it a step farther. If he was going from point A to point B on campus and it took him past Benson, and he saw a light out but it was not the day he was scheduled to come, he typically would stop and say, "I wanna get that light."

"So there was a pride about how the building looked and the contribution he made to that. He paid attention," adds Cameron. "If he could do something about it, he would."

Asunsolo's efforts have been recognized with numerous awards for his volunteer efforts as well as his conscientious work ethic.

Asunsolo's job took him to all parts of the campus, and his extroverted personality accordingly made him friends all over the campus. "Joe knows everybody," said librarian Lynne Toribara, whose office is tucked away in the back of Orradre Library. "Changing lights is not just a job to him. He is a people person and very outgoing."

While his job and volunteer efforts kept him busy, the change of pace since his retirement in April has understandably left him a little disoriented. "I've been off for a week, but it feels like I've been off for months," he said, smiling. "I don't know whether I should take a nap or watch TV or mow the lawn. This week just flew and I'm trying to get myself organized."

"I miss being here, but I am beginning to enjoy my retirement," he adds. "I have a lot of things that I want to get done, that I want to do. It's time to move on. I just want to enjoy the good years that I have left."

Although Joseph F. Asunsolo has retired, the Asunsolo presence will continue to make itself felt on campus, as his son, Joseph J. Asunsolo joined the university as an officer with campus safety in December.

"Although I've only been here five months, it seems like I've been here much longer because I felt so comfortable right away," Asunsolo Junior said. "People associate me with my dad. They know me because my dad worked here. When they find out, they'll say 'Hey your dad is a great guy, here's a little story.'"

Dad, for his part, is glad that his son is working in the relatively safe and predictable environment of the university, rather than prowling the streets of downtown San Jose as a police officer.

The third-born Asunsolo Junior credits his dad for the morals and the work ethic he instilled in himself and his three sisters. "We're very proud of my dad," said Asunsolo Junior. The companies the senior Asunsolo worked for before coming to Santa Clara either relocated or went out of business. Despite these difficulties, he still managed to send his four kids to parochial school.

"He took classes, really worked hard, got this job here and the rest is pretty much history. He did very well here. I'm very proud of the awards that he got," said Asunsolo Juinior.

Toribara sums up Asunsolo's contributions best: "He embodies the compassion, conscience and competence that Santa Clara emphasizes."