More than 40 years ago Lee Stapel was a young high school student who mowed the lawns at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital for a summer job. Today he has come full circle, assuming the job his father once had and continuing his commitment to the hospital and its mission. Stapel has worn many hats since he arrived in June 1962. At the time, his father was the director of Plant Operations, back then known as the boiler room. Mom worked in the cafeteria, and it was a given he would join his family at work during summers off from Broadview Academy.

At school, part of Stapel’s studies included going to school for half a day and working the other half. He cleaned the insides of boilers and helped wire a new addition to the girls' dormitory for electricity. “I’d say I was mostly self taught,” Stapel said. “I like to do things with my hands, and I enjoyed working with the maintenance guys. They were my mentors.”

After graduating from Broadview Academy, Stapel enrolled in the electrician certification program at Coyne Electrical Institute, graduating in 1965. Then he came home to Hinsdale. The early years were spent as an electrician. He later became a paid, on-call firefighter for the village, a post he held for 22 years.

In 1982, Stapel offered to take weekend pager coverage for the hospital’s fire prevention safety officer, who desperately needed some time off. “That was the beginning for me learning about safety,” he said. “We continued to tag team weekend coverage for quite some time.” Eventually, Stapel worked the first half of the day as the hospital’s Fire Prevention and Safety Officer, then changed his clothes to complete the day doing maintenance work. He became a full-time Fire Prevention and Safety Officer in 1984.

In 1986, Stapel was asked to add Director of Security to his résumé. Finally, in March 2005, he landed in his father’s footsteps as Director of Plant Operations. “Do I have fun? Yes, I do,” Stapel said. “I’ve got some good people that work with me. From day one, we’ve never had a fire that has caused serious damage or injury. I’m very proud of that.”

Though he’s never worked in a patient care area, Stapel understands the importance of his job to the organization. “The Christian philosophy of being dedicated to helping others has kept me here, because I love being able to help people,” he said. “It takes a complete team to provide quality health care. The clinical staff treats patients, but it’s my responsibility to provide a safe environment for patients, visitors, and staff.”

With retirement on the horizon, Stapel and his wife Linda, who works in the Medical Staff Office, look forward to spending time with family, friends, and hobbies. Stapel has a passion for race cars, and he and his son and daughter are avid spectators. He plans to restore a 1966 GTO.

“How you were raised has a big impact on how Christianity flows through the elder years,” he said. “Adventist Midwest Health has a good Christian atmosphere and good Christian people who work here. It’s been a satisfying experience.”

Julie Busch, public relations specialist for Adventist Midwest Health