Making sure the dorms are up to snuff… for her ‘children’

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Frank John Casciotta
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Junior enlisted members at Vance Air Force Base have been living in the same dormitories since 1957 due to excellent maintenance over the years, according to findings in a recent inspection.

Angela Bobb has been doing her part to keep the dorms in their outstanding condition since 1998 as Vance's enlisted-dormitory manager.

Bobb started working at Vance Air Force base in 1992 as a housekeeper for the Vance Cherokee Lodge. Three years later she was promoted to lead housekeeper. For a time she struggled with the transformation from worker to supervisor.

"When I saw something hadn't been done I would just clean it myself," said Bobb. "I did not have anyone to teach me the job because the position did not exist before."

Eventually Bobb was promoted to enlisted-dormitory manager, and brought her experience as a housekeeper and leadsman to the position.

Once she saw the house-keeping condition of the dormitories she realized she had to set standards. Since she was accustomed to the standards that lodging requires for distinguished visitors, she knew what she had to do to get the dormitories up to snuff.

"After working at Vance AFB for six years, I realized that the enlisted dormitories were where I needed to be," Bobb said. "When I came over here I knew I was being blessed by God."

Just as with the leadsman position in lodging, she did not have anyone to teach her how to be a dormitory manager.

"I'm not here to just do a job," said Bobb. She says her dedication to the dorm-manager position comes from Colossians 3:23 (KJV), "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men."

"When I first saw the list of dorm occupants I thought I would never learn all of these Airmen's names -- but I finally did," she said. "Every last one of the Airmen who live in these dorms are just like my children.

"When I first got here I had 21 empty rooms waiting for new Airmen, and they were all a nasty mess -- a mess!" she said with a laugh.

"I knew I didn't want new Airmen coming into a situation like that," she said "And so every day, when I had time, I would clean the rooms myself so that new Airmen would have a nice, clean room. I wanted their first impression to be the best impression that Vance AFB could give them."

Once the rooms were up to her standards, Bobb began giving Airmen living in the dorm a checklist to let them know what they were responsible for, and continues to hold them to that standard today.

"I had Airmen bucking up against me at first, but I have their best interest at heart," she said. "I am their dorm manager but I am always here for whatever they need, whether it is something that needs fixed in their room or if they are having personal problems and just need someone to talk with."

Part of her duties as the dorm manager is scheduling "bay orderlies," Airmen who clean and maintain the common areas of the dormitories.

Airman 1st Class Nicola Dejesus, a dental assistant with the 71st Medical Operations Squadron and a dorm resident, knows what it's like working as one of Bobb's bay orderlies.
"It was quite a delightful atmosphere, she was very specific and detailed in what she expected to get done," said Dejesus.

"If something needed to be redone, she was very patient in explaining what wasn't done correctly and what needed to be done," said Dejesus.

"Sometimes Airmen will tell me something can't be cleaned, so I'll tell them to get the equipment and watch me do it, to show them that it can be done," said Bobb.

Bobb also works with the sponsors of incoming Airmen to make sure a key and a clean room is ready when they arrive.

"A lot of times Airmen come in a little early, or sometimes a little late," she said "I do not want Airmen to spend a night over at lodging when they can have a room in these dorms when they arrive."

"I've been praying for new dorms, but meanwhile we are going to upgrade the heating and air conditioning and upgrade the kitchens," said Bobb.