Robert Maraugha spent the last two years as Shepherd’s crossing guard. With the completion of the underpass, he has moved to a new position at Shepherd and is currently working as evening security at the Center for Contemporary Arts.
Maraugha said, “My main priority is still the students. Do they need anything, are they safe, even are they happy?”
He is responsible for making sure the CCA building is secure and safe for the students. His new position at the CCA started when the underpass was opened this January.
Maraugha said, “A lot of people have voiced their concerns about the underpass, but I think it is great. A beautiful job and a real improvement.”
He originally started as the crossing guard when his daughter-in-law, Lori Maraugha, an officer with Shepherd Police, approached him about helping the Shepherd Police Department.
“I have no bad memories,” Maraugha said. “The students here are great.”
With a chuckle, Maraugha added that he “didn’t even mind the weather. When you are a Navy man, being out in the weather doesn’t bother you.”
Maraugha has lived a full life. He spent 1954 to 1956 in the Air Force and then transferred into the Navy until 1971. He worked in the Air Police as a marine electrician and rescue swimmer and even in torpedo recovery. He received two bronze stars and the Navy Commendation for Life Saving in his time in the Navy.
He is also a pastor at the Beth Haven Baptist Church located in Martinsburg, W.Va.
He works about six hours for four days a week at the CCA and continues to take his work there as seriously as he did his crossing guard duties.
Maraugha said, “When you are given a job, it is your responsibility to do what you are expected to do.”
Maraugha claimed he enjoys his new position at Shepherd and enjoys seeing the students, some of whom he remembers seeing at the Duke and High Street intersections.
Renzo Velez, a senior art major, was one of those students.
Velez said, “I would just like to thank him for being such a nice guy and his service here.”
With his experiences and knowledge, Maraugha continues to be an approachable asset to the campus and the students.
Maraugha said, “I have had a good life.”