A small act of kindness by a custodian that leads to an annual awards ceremony and scholarships for building care staff and their children may sound like for the makings of a movie classic, but it is now a reality on the Cornell campus.

At the third Bartels Award for Custodial Service Excellence ceremony Nov. 23, Phil and Susan Bartels announced the endowment of the annual Bartels Award, as well as an annual scholarship for two custodial staff members and two children of the Building Care family.

In response to the announcement, some of the nearly 300 custodians in the audience gasped as Rob Osborn, Building Care director, said, "I'm absolutely speechless."

It all began in 2006 after Craig Beaver, a custodian working in Duffield Hall, showed exceptional kindness and understanding to a group of harried seniors studying for their final exams and shared a plate of cookies with them. He did not realize that one of those students was so touched by his thoughtfulness that she told her parents about him.

That student was Katie Bartels '06, and her parents -- Phil Bartels '71, a member of the Cornell University Council, and Susan -- were moved to establish the Bartels Award for Custodial Service Excellence.

"Thank you for recognizing what these fine people do day in and day out," said Kyu Whang, vice president for facilities services. "They are some of the most dedicated staff at the university, and I am truly glad to see them recognized."

"You are all an important part of this university," Whang said. "Take time to understand and get to know who you work with as each of us has a little bit of wisdom we can impart upon the world."

This year's Bartels award winners are:

All the Bartel winners' names are inscribed on a plaque that is displayed at Building Care's main building on Maple Avenue.

Donna Goss is the manager of internal communications for University Communications.