Where are Housing Alumni Now?
JOHN DONALDSON
photos provided by JOHN DONALDSON
After returning from the Marine Corps at the beginning
of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, I enrolled at UF, and
at the age of 23, I lived as a non-traditional freshman in
Tolbert Hall. A semester later, I moved to Beaty Towers.
Transitioning from the military to campus life was difficult, and I often felt isolated from the student population.
It was not long before I found myself in trouble.
Interestingly, Daisy Waryold, the wise housing judicial
professional at the time, aligned my sanction with her
desired outcome and instructed me to “get involved.”
Shortly after that, I became a front desk assistant at Beaty
Towers, and before the semester was over, I accepted a
position as a resident assistant (RA) in Jennings Hall for
the following term. I had large shoes to fill as my brother
was already an RA in the New Facility, now named Keys
Residential Complex, and his legacy was honored with a
grill named after him—The William H. Donaldson Grill. Go
see it sometime; it is still grilling to this day.
several nights. Christine Coons was my hall director,
and it was during those late-night evacuations that
we had the opportunity to bond in the presence of
unpleasant circumstances. Christine was an awesome
supervisor.
Working in residence life was my fraternity, only better.
There were no dues, no hazing, and membership included
all genders, races, ethnicities, and personalities. I took
a small hiatus in my RA career when I left UF to attend
the University of Colorado for a semester. It did not
take me long to realize that I needed to return. If it were
not for Steve Logan, my Assistant Director of Housing
(ADH), who offered me another RA job at Broward Hall,
the rest of my RA experience would never have been
written—and the best was yet to come.
Upon my return, during RA training in Flavet Field, I
met my wife of 21 years, Jacki. She worked as a judicial
grad assistant at the time. I wined and dined her at the
Purple Porpoise and Leo’s, and now, all these years
later, we have two sons, ages 15 and 13. Unfortunately,
the Purple Porpoise is long gone, and Leo’s is on its way
out, but my memories of Housing and the relationships
I developed are everlasting.
Donaldson's brother was also an RA in the New Facility,
now named the Keys Residential Complex.
Throughout my tenure as an RA, I served in Jennings Hall,
Broward Hall, and my swan song, Yulee Hall. My duties
included conducting educational programs, constructing
bulletin boards, and providing social programs. Do not let
that textbook description fool you; my experience was
full of surprises and learning opportunities not outlined
in RA training.
I currently work at UF Health as the Assistant Director of
Academic Support Services, not far from the residence
halls where I worked during my undergraduate years.
My first RA duty station was in Jennings Hall. The RA
I replaced was allegedly pennied into his room by his
residents, then later trapped in his room by a soda
machine parked in front of his door. Perhaps my military
training would snap the students into shape. Although I
did not experience any undesired containment, one day
I did notice a piece of paper taped to the lounge door
window. What could be happening inside? I walked in to
find my residents celebrating a birthday, and they had
invited a special guest—a stripper. As chance would have
it, the stripper was my brother’s high school prom date
from Orlando back in the 80s. I also have fond memories Donaldson pictured wearing a Marine shirt served in
of negative events. We encountered a series of bomb the Corps before enrolling at UF in 1991.
threats in which the entire building was evacuated for
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