For Duffy Neubauer, with work comes rewards.
Neubauer, who is beginning his 36th year as a university staff member, also has served five years as the curator of the Starkville Civil War Arsenal, a personal collection on display and available to visitors by appointment during nights and weekends.
The operations coordinator for Humphrey Coliseum says his world has become "bigger" because of the many visitors, speakers, performers and athletes who have come through campus over the years.
Fondly known as "The Hump," Humphrey Coliseum is home of MSU men's and women's basketball Bulldogs. In addition to 30 years of SEC basketball, The Hump has hosted performances by Garth Brooks, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, George Strait, Bob Dylan, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Jimmy Buffett and James Taylor, as well as many others.
The long hours of set-up and take-down are all in a day's work for Neubauer, who has been rewarded over and over with the opportunity to view entertainers and inspiring speakers.
One of his favorite guests was Story Musgrave, a NASA astronaut who spoke at The Hump in 1997. Musgrave told a group of high school vocational students about his interesting life story from high school dropout to becoming a pilot with the Marines to later earning seven graduate degrees over the course of an unparalleled career.
"I have gotten to hear some incredible programs, and I always like to listen to good speakers," Neubauer says.
After beginning his university work in 1979 with a joint position that involved Humphrey Coliseum operations as well as coaching track, he later moved full-time to overseeing that things run smoothly at the coliseum. The variety of events includes graduation ceremonies, science fairs, career days, camps, meetings and trade shows, in addition to basketball and special speakers.
"The best part of the job is meeting people from different walks of life and locations. It makes your world bigger," he says.
Neubauer's responsibilities often demand his presence on nights and weekends, but when he is off work, he turns his attention to his Civil War collection. He delights in hosting visitors who see an extensive collection of field artillery and rolling stock or carriages that made up an artillery battery during the Civil War.
Neubauer offers programs to educate his guests on items that were used by both Union and Confederate artillerymen. He makes their visit even more authentic by wearing a Civil War uniform.
He has met amazing visitors because of both his work on campus and his work with his Civil War collection. "I get as many interesting stories that come to me at the museum as I give," he says. He counts a former Supreme Court justice, members of the National Archives, National Park Services and the Army Museum System among his visitors. Additionally, he has met older people with Civil War stories passed down from grandparents.
As Neubauer anticipates joining his wife Brenda in retirement, he looks forward to the flexibility to open the Starkville Civil War Arsenal even more frequently and accommodating more visitors. After all, meeting people is his favorite part.