2008 Woodie Awards
Grooving to the beat of his own drum
Webster University alumnus Steven Tatum juggles work at Webster while playing in two jazz bands
By: Trish Wallace
Issue date: 10/27/05 Section: LifeStyle
Webster University's housekeepers stay busy with laundry, cleaning up spills like those on carpets or bathrooms and even handling some deliveries. Steven Tatum is one such person. As the lead janitor, Tatum works in the University Center during the day.
The lead is the first housekeeper to get a call from the manager to handle a situation, Tatum said. If a toilet overflows or a restroom is out of toilet paper, he decides who is available to fix the problem. If anything happens during his shift, he is expected to take care of it before he leaves, even if that means working late. Tatum usually works from 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, but he is paid overtime for the extra work. Tatum only works late about once a week.
Tatum worked full time for housekeeping during his junior and senior years as a Webster student. After he graduated as a business administration major in May 2004, Tatum remained on the staff, feeling no rush to move on.
"It's a beautiful job," Tatum said.
The best part of the job for Tatum is he can wear his headphones all the time. While working, he listens to anything from Miles Davis to 2PAC.
Tatum is a musician himself. Every Wednesday, he plays the drums in the Petah Williams Trio at Riddles in the University City Loop from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. On Saturdays, he plays with the Willie Akins Quartet at Spruilles downtown from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Both of these groups feature jazz music.
Tatum heard about the Petah Williams Trio by word of mouth. He didn't have a formal audition, but he played with the group several times before he was asked to actually join the band. Tatum met Willie Akins through Webster. As a Webster student, Tatum had taken courses through the music department with Akins as his jazz combo director.
Tatum started playing the drums at a young age. He picked up his first set of drumsticks when he was three years old.
"It was just in me, what God wanted me to do," Tatum said.
The lead is the first housekeeper to get a call from the manager to handle a situation, Tatum said. If a toilet overflows or a restroom is out of toilet paper, he decides who is available to fix the problem. If anything happens during his shift, he is expected to take care of it before he leaves, even if that means working late. Tatum usually works from 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, but he is paid overtime for the extra work. Tatum only works late about once a week.
Tatum worked full time for housekeeping during his junior and senior years as a Webster student. After he graduated as a business administration major in May 2004, Tatum remained on the staff, feeling no rush to move on.
"It's a beautiful job," Tatum said.
The best part of the job for Tatum is he can wear his headphones all the time. While working, he listens to anything from Miles Davis to 2PAC.
Tatum is a musician himself. Every Wednesday, he plays the drums in the Petah Williams Trio at Riddles in the University City Loop from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. On Saturdays, he plays with the Willie Akins Quartet at Spruilles downtown from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Both of these groups feature jazz music.
Tatum heard about the Petah Williams Trio by word of mouth. He didn't have a formal audition, but he played with the group several times before he was asked to actually join the band. Tatum met Willie Akins through Webster. As a Webster student, Tatum had taken courses through the music department with Akins as his jazz combo director.
Tatum started playing the drums at a young age. He picked up his first set of drumsticks when he was three years old.
"It was just in me, what God wanted me to do," Tatum said.