John Wroblewski and Richard Opfer

00:03 Okay, so, my name is Richard. I'm 71 at Wednesday, May 19th, Maryland bleske story.

00:19 Something.

00:30 Big Wan.

00:31 Write 61 and today date, May 19th 2000.

00:38 Quite one, right?

00:41 French money.

00:44 Okay.

00:47 You work for offer auctioneering since 1990. Is that right? Now? You are my oldest employee. You stayed with us longer than anybody could possibly stand this or are you happy with me?

01:01 You are recommended if you remember from, right? And you remember your first job description?

01:11 At what? We, we have an auction company and we need everything that comes through our door. We need it numbered with a consignor. That's the person. They gave it to us to sell and it needs to be numbered those people get paid for what they said. This. Is that correct? That's right. And you that was your first job and you had training and you did that very well, but then what happened next. Did your job grow?

01:38 Is there nothing you don't do here? I just know everything.

01:43 May I

01:46 Yeah.

01:49 Gray Street and all that excess paper, instead of us throwing it away. As we're careful with the environment. And you used to before covid, used to go and get us coffee, tea coffee, right? That's one of your favorite place. So you like working here. John. Oh, yeah, and was there any other job that you have? I taken before you took this job. Not a taxi cab driver, the train engineer, Violet nothing. Like now he is that is that cuz you didn't have a license.

02:44 You know how to drive? Okay. Well that explains it. How do you like your co-workers here? Everybody. Take care of it.

02:55 And you take care of them. I tell you. So, how have your co-workers helped you? For instance. How about that? Young lady across the block, their Lauren? Yeah, like

03:12 On the computer for church when they do their birthday, so you send them cards are

03:24 Oh, Mass. Okay. Well, we'll get into religion a little bit later.

03:32 Do you feel at home here and you have any any stories of working here? Like favorite stories, or anything that happened that was really fun or just everyday Fun? Well, then you have a better than I do but some other jobs. You do something as you go on road trips with Ben Wright and Ben keeps, you straighten a Bend? Or he's our driver and he's our Packer and he's he's an Auctioneer to it as he ever you tried to auction here. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and you did a good job, but you like the road trips. Oh, yeah, and then all the other jobs. You get you to clean the truck.

04:26 Right. Did you ever have a? Did you ever have a birthday party here?

04:35 I was at what what birthday was at my 5050 and gave him some presents and he said, you like you cuz you collect records. Okay. Do you want to do you want to retire anytime soon to young for that? You know what? 50 years should get a gold-plated watch and now I'm telling you to go play that cuz I can't afford a gold watch. Can you read? Can you read or watch? Okay, so

05:20 Okay.

05:21 You remember any times that you've been working here that you were upset or just traumatic? I yelled. And what did you do when they call you in the closet? And did I stop yelling? Oh, yeah, I've gotten better. So, how do you like me as your boss job? Pretty good. Except for, when I yell were there any first it when you first met me. Did you have any first impressions?

06:07 A me that one before. Were you scared to come to work? Yeah. Yeah, because you never had a job before. And did you have a job before this? Oh, yeah, and what did you do for work then?

06:24 Mailing, did you address things are stamps?

06:35 Okay, you enjoy your church life. And how is your congregation been to you or you? Yeah, I do.

06:51 Oh, yeah, and and you like church and you have duties at your. Are you? And can you tell us what they are?

07:06 You're on the altar. All right.

07:12 Who has been used but you say the biggest influence in your life?

07:20 Who's affected your most? If you can sail are over there. You think so, and what she done for you, but she used to it after work. Teach you to read and then anything, you need all your appointments.

07:41 Blue Ralph Lauren for that one day. Yeah. Alright. Well, that's good.

07:49 Are there any locksmiths that you've done? Anything? You've done that? You're really proud of how? Well I'm proud of you. Oh, yeah, tell us about your art. You do watercolors and weapons. And where do you? Where do you put those in the summer every summer in the end of Timonium?

08:29 And have you ever won any awards for first place?

08:36 Yeah, and they're really good, aren't they? Have you ever sold any of your art at bark? You did just one? Yeah, and then you do other chores.

08:59 But the problem with that is you were selling them, but now you start giving them away.

09:10 Alright, well, they're really good and everybody loves your scarves. Now, you switch to a little bit from pot holders to scarp. What lessons have you learned here at life lessons?

09:26 No, what how bad to be honest? You say that you are at and to respect people.

09:35 Old people.

09:38 Do you think you're getting old? Not yet? Still young how bad? How about how social you are and how kind you are.

09:51 All the time and they really liked that. I feel people should employers especially should realize what people with disabilities can add to the workforce in the work environment. Johnston at an incredible job here. As he said he started off just just tagging item. So we could pay the right consigner and he's moved on to it. There's just nothing that he doesn't do around here to help. He, he's mobile, he takes in out we'd have things to go to another storage area. He does that for us on the ramp, right? We're going to call the annex now just so you know, okay cuz it sounds better and so I bet you do that for us and you just your told what to do and you just do it. And that's important in and there's lots of people with disabilities.

10:51 Can you jobs and then I'm sure they were almost as hard as you Johnny and I think John, do you know, John important in our success? And there's reason certain reasons for that. He's grown in his job. He's done a multitude of the multitude is I set up jobs and doing well, but one of the most important things, how friendly John has been to our clients. He's social with him. He speaks to him, they come to the door and he asked them how they're doing, and they are coming in and they say, how are you doing, John? And they have this conversation and John, you just tell him everything.

11:34 Yeah, that you don't hold anything back now. Okay. Well, that's really kind of sums up what jobs are jobs and what John does here. I can't express enough. You know how much we need him. And he says, you're not going to retire. So I guess I guess we're stuck with you John. All right.