MH/UC Alumnus finds summer rewards

A former lifeguard and a swimmer when he was in high school and college, Balaban said the job as pool manager just fit.

"It fell into my background," he said. "It's a nice summer job and a nice environment. It gives you something to do."

Photo by Bob Wojcieszak
Mitchell Balaban has been working at Cato Pool for two summers.

He said lifeguarding gives him the chance to continue working with kids and to earn money.

"It's just great the city of Charleston offers a variety of jobs," he said.

Kim Hundley, a ninth-grade English teacher and theater teacher at South Charleston High School, also spends her summers working at Cato Park. She helps run the golf shop.

Hundley, 32, said she took the job last summer because she enjoys staying busy.

"I need a schedule," she said.

Hundley keeps active at the shop, where she rings up customers and keeps things clean. She likes the atmosphere.

"I enjoy having contact with people," she said. "I enjoy working with the regulars."

Hundley usually begins working at the park in May, while school is still in session. She works about two nights per week until summer vacation starts. Then she ramps up her hours to 30 or 40 per week.

This year, she plans to scale back a little and save some time for a vacation of her own.

There's also time for Tan, the violin player, to have a little fun, too, while she's working during the summer.

While it's a source of income, the job itself at Yellowstone is something she loves doing.

She started the job nine summers ago when she was in graduate school, and she has continued to travel out to Yellowstone even after securing a job in Kanawha County as an orchestra director.

When she began playing with the quartet, she met her husband, who already was a violin player with the group.

There are two other members who also live far away from Wyoming - a viola player and cellist.

During the summer months, the Tans spend most days practicing, then performing Thursday through Monday nights.

Sometimes they will look out in the audience to find famous people staring back.

"Tom Brokaw and Laura Bush came through," Colleen said. "Laura Bush didn't watch us perform, but I saw her in the gift shop.

"We get to meet people from all over the world," Colleen said. "I try to give them their space. Part of our job is entertaining our guests."

On their days off, the couple throws on their sweaters, then hike through the Rocky Mountains, catching glimpses of bison and bear on their treks.

"It's amazing out there," Colleen said. "It's very high elevation. It gets very cold at night. I hike on snow in July."

At nights, they stay in employee housing at the hotel.

Because they are 7,700 feet above sea level, it can get chilly.

"The hottest it's ever gotten there is 85 degrees," Colleen said.

It's a nice change from the sometimes sweltering summers in West Virginia.

"The high school staff and administration are jealous," she quips. "But they're also very proud."

Tami Albu, an autism mentor at Cedar Grove Elementary, also has found a way to make her time off from school pay off.

The 48-year-old divorced mother of one spends her summer days working at the Marriott as an "At Your Service" agent.

She performs tasks such as arranging transportation for guests or fulfilling special requests.

But she doesn't limit her second job strictly to the summer months.

She actually started work at the Marriott in February to supplement her school income and to pay for the constantly increasing price of gas.

Before that, she worked evenings as a waitress at the Texas Steak House.

Even though she said she really needs a second job to make ends meet for her family, Albu said she also really enjoys working.

"I absolutely love it," she said. "It's strange because in the daytime it's kind of laid back and then I go to a professional job. I go from dressing casual to putting on a suit."

Albu usually spends a few school days each week working with autistic students. She goes home, changes quickly and then heads to the Marriott, where she sometimes works until midnight.

Her summer schedule is a little less hectic. She usually works about 16 to 23 hours per week then.

One of the biggest perks of Albu's second job is that she gets to work with celebrities' agents when they come into town.

"When concerts come into town, (my students) will say, 'Did you get to see this one or that one?'" Albu said. "I get to tell my stories to the kids, so that's really neat."

Albu, who is also on the executive committee for the West Virginia Education Association, said her financial situation is familiar for a lot of teachers around the state. She said it's one reason why the union has been pushing so hard for teacher pay raises.

"I know first-hand what it's like," she said.

Charlie Delauder, former president of the union, said many teachers find they have to work over the summer.

The average teacher in West Virginia makes $39,281, according to statistics provided by the union.

Private tutoring is one popular summer occupation, he said.

When he taught in the school system, Delauder spent his summers working construction. He also owned his own business in Tyler County, where he employed three other teachers.

Educators say it's not always easy to find summer work.

Terry Ashworth, a teacher at East Lynn Elementary School in Wayne County, is hoping to find employment to help his college-aged son pay for gas.

The 51-year-old divorced father of two has gone to a temporary service agency and to Wal-Mart in an attempt to find a summer job, but he hasn't yet had any luck. He said he wants to work reasonably close to his home so that not all of his money will be sucked up by high gas prices.

"If I can't make $10 or $12 an hour, it won't be worth it," he said.

Although he would love to catch up on housework, Ashworth knows that he can't afford to spend his summer not working.

"It would be nice to lay around and work around the house, but gosh, it's just so expensive to send your kid to college," he said.

Contact writer Kelly Holleran at or 304-348-1796.