SUMTER, S.C. — Nearly 60 years of service to the community is the milestone that one Sumter School District groundskeeper is approaching as he heads into his sixth decade in that role.
“Work hard and stay young,” Fulton McFadden shares. “That’s what my mother and father says. Work hard and stay young.”
It’s the motto that 75-year-old McFadden has taken into work since the 1960s when he began working in the district. McFadden says he started at 16-years-old, cleaning the kitchen at his alma mater, Eastern High School now known as RE Davis College Preparatory Academy.
“My uncle come to my house. It was raining. One morning about 9 o’clock and he came there and he asked if I want a job. I told him yes. And the next day I come and I started working ever since,” McFadden remembered. “Got to keep the kids going. Got to keep them up. Try to keep them in school.”
Through the years, McFadden says he’s seen a lot of change.
“Student, principals, superintendent and all. I see them come and go. Then they come back and ask me, and I’m still here,” McFadden smiled. “People keep asking me, they say ‘Man why you still working?’ I say, ‘I got nobody to take care of but just me.”
When Maria Dantzler started her role as principal at RE Davis last year, she heard about McFadden and his experience.
“He's been such a staple in our school district for so long,” Dantzler shared. “Everything is taken care of. He is always here. He does not miss a day of work.”
McFadden’s day starts early, around 4:20 a.m.
“I come and open up the school, cut the lights and everything on,” McFadden shared about what it’s like being the person to open up the school each day. “Then I will do a little work on the outside cutting the grass and then I come back and work in the cafeteria.”
It’s a role that Dantzler says is important.
“When you drive up to RE Davis, the first thing you see are the grounds,” Dantzler details. “You see the hedges, you see the grass, you see our sign that’s outside, and we want everyone to feel welcome and we want everyone to see that we care about not just the inside of our school but the outside as well.”
Because of his time maintaining schools throughout the area, from Crestwood High and Maywood to Chestnut Oaks Middle and RE Davis, McFadden is remembered by many. Aleashia Conyers graduated from Maywood High school, where McFadden worked for 31 years.
“I think it’s amazing to give that many years of service back to the district,” Conyers shared. “What I remember about him: the keys. He always had keys to everything hanging from him.”
McFadden says he’s collected over a thousand keys throughout the years.
“All the schools send me their keys, soda machine and all,” McFadden explained, saying despite the large collection, he’s able to keep track of them mentally.
Now, Conyers works in the district herself and is celebrating 25 years as a teacher at Oakland Primary.
“Everybody needs to be recognized because we all work together to make the schools what it is,” Conyers said. “His job is just as important as my job.”
When it comes to a message she’d like to share, Conyers says it’s simple.
“Job well done, Mr. McFadden. I want to tell you this while you’re here,” Conyers shared, overcome with emotion. “So many people have passed away and they don’t get to get their flowers while they’re living and a lot of times people don’t get to tell them how great they are. You know you hear people talk about people at their funeral, but I think it’s important for him to know that he’s doing a great job while he’s still living.”
McFadden says he’s following in his parents footsteps. Both his mother and father worked with their hands, painting and working on floors. Now, McFadden says that’s the type of work he enjoys.
When he’s not tidying school grounds on the clock, McFadden says he also stays busy outside of work.
“People throw stuff on the side of the road, and you’ve got to keep it clean,” McFadden detailed how he picks up around churches and neighborhoods near his community in Alcolu.
“He has had a great impact on the community,” Dantzler emphasized. “During the holidays, he purchased oranges. Our band, our middle school band was selling oranges for a fundraiser. He purchased oranges for all of our office staff, administrators, members of his community and he gave them to us. So he was helping the band but he was also showing that kindness to all of us. So he has the kindest heart. And he is one of, again, the hardest working people that I know.”
As for McFadden’s future plans, he hopes to work at RE Davis for a couple more years and then move to another school.
“Keep it up and keep going,” McFadden said.
The Sumter School District says McFadden is one of its longest-serving employees of record.