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Article published Apr 13, 2004
Senator honors switchboard worker

Baker Maultsby
Staff Writer

Sen. Phil Leventis, a Sumter Democrat, believes state employees are "badly underappreciated."So a year ago, he instituted his own recognition of state workers who have done an extraordinary job. He calls the award "The Blue Granite Recognition," named for the state's official stone.On Monday, Leventis turned the spotlight on a staff member at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind.As director of switchboard communications for SCSDB, it's the job of Linda Nodine to get urgent messages out to all staff and parents when weather is bad or other emergencies occur.An automated system made contacting most parents and staff relatively simple.But to contact deaf parents and employees, there was no automated system. Nodine had to send a text telephone message to each individually -- a task that could take up to five hours.Nodine spent hours researching the problem before coming up with a solution for getting messages out to deaf parents and employees more efficiently."I'm stubborn," Nodine said, still wiping away tears of happiness after the surprise announcement.Asked why she was so driven to get a communications problem worked out, she said simply, "I'm the one who's responsible."SCSDB president Sheila Breitweiser said the improved communication is "not only about safety. But it says, 'You're important.' "Leventis hopes his award will underscore the services provided by state government and the work of the individuals who make it happen."With all the talk about budget cuts and tax cuts, I think some people are beginning to believe that they may not be getting much for the dollars they're paying for state government," he said."I say it's to the contrary. I think people are getting an extraordinary deal for the dollars they're paying."Baker Maultsby can be reachedat 562-7425 or baker.maultsby@shj.com.