John Bizzell Retires
Article from the ECU Report, Vol. XI, No. 3, Fall 1979 regarding the career and memories of John Bizzell. This and other articles can be found in the Unviersity Archives.
John Bizzell is a living legend at ECU and a walking encyclopedia of ECU history. Since he joined the staff in September of 1933 as a janitor, he has served under six of the seven presidents and chancellors and remembers vividly the progress from East Carolina Teachers Training School to East Carolina University.Bizzell began work as a janitor working 59 1/2 hours per week and making $7.75 a week with no annual or sick leave. The school had only one vehicle -- a truck -- and Bizzell used a wheelbarrow with his name on it to bring mail and packages from the post office to campus. After a few years, he became supervisor of housekeeping services.
He remembers Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to the campus in November of 1941, when he served as butler and he also remembers when "Bob Morgan was a boy going to school here."
He recalls when male students were first admitted to East Carolina and the "beautiful site" down by Lake Arboretum -- near the present Science Complex -- where they walked with the girls.
I've known many mighty fine people here," he said. "It has been a great experience. I know that we have come a long way, but we're going to do better in the future than we have in the past."
Bizzell retired in October.
