March 2002

Dan Park: Director of Physical Plant Services

Members of the Whitman staff have been breaking new ground in their fields for years, but none so much as Dan Park. As Whitman’s director of physical plant services, he literally has been breaking new ground around campus for almost 20 years. Park is responsible for coordinating and maintaining major building and renovation projects at Whitman as well as supervising the daily service operations of the campus.

Park coordinates the constant flow of change around campus. “I think the best thing about working at Whitman is that there’s always an opportunity to make improvements,” he says. “I feel that ever since I’ve been here, there has been a continuous process of development. We have constructed many new buildings, completed major renovations, and acquired new property to expand the footprint of the campus. One of the most enjoyable things for me is that I’ve had the opportunity to be right in the middle of that.” During his 10 years as director, Park has been directly involved in the renovation of Hunter Conservatory, the completion of the new Reid Campus Center, and the current Hall of Science addition.

A self-proclaimed “gear head,” Park also enjoys the variety of challenges that come with his position. Daily assignments can range from coordinating the regular cleaning of residence halls to completing construction of a classroom on the Johnston Wilderness campus. “I’ve always enjoyed troubleshooting, trying to make things better by looking at problems from a variety of angles,” says Park.

He began his career at Whitman in 1982 as a carpenter and worked as both maintenance supervisor and associate director of the physical plant before taking on his current position in 1992.

Park and his wife, Tana, who works as Whitman’s sponsored program coordinator, have been married for almost 23 years. Their daughter Kaelen is an eighth grader at DeSales Middle School, and their son Colby is a DeSales High School senior and on the college search himself. The family enjoys DeSales sports events and trips around the U.S. to explore various parts of the country.

— Mo Brady, ’03