Volunteer introduced to organization 30 years earlier

WILLOW -- Bob Field first learned of Habitat for Humanity before it really even existed.

"My parents were friends with Millard and Linda Fuller," said Field. "They used to go and help build homes for the share croppers in Georgia."

Millard and Linda Fuller began building homes for Georgia farmers in 1968. Field's parents, Robert and Francis, would meet up with the Fullers during the summer months in Georgia during the late 1960s, Field said -- before Habitat for Humanity had formed into an official community program in 1976. Field recalls his parents talking about this wonderful couple that was devoting their time to helping others remodel and build homes. At the time, Field was busy with work, a wife and his children, and said he was too busy to really pay attention to what his parents were saying.

Now, 30-some years later, Field has found his calling, similar to his parents and their friends, in helping build homes through Habitat for Humanity.

"I finally started paying attention to what [my parents] were telling me 30 years ago," Field said. "Now that I am in my 60s, I am starting to see what is really important in my life."

Field first helped a few days on a home in Knoxville, Tenn., where he is from, 10 years ago. Habitat for Humanity really became an important part of his life four years ago, he, said, and he realized it was formed by the same people his parents admired more than 30 years earlier.

"The old messages [from my parents] are coming through, and now I am a little more receptive," Field said.

Field has worked on six homes through Habitat for Humanity and this is his third time he has volunteered to lead a project. A United Methodist Church youth group trip to Willow three years ago introduced him to Alaska, and he decided that he really wanted to come back and do some volunteer work in the 49th state.

"I really would have done anything to come up for the summer and do a project," he said. Luck, and a bit of finesse on the part of the Willow United Methodist Church, brought Field back to lead two building projects in Alaska, one in Juneau two years ago and the Willow home this year going to recipient Lida Mayo. While most of his time this summer has been dedicated to building Willow's first Habitat home, Field has taken advantage of Alaska's wide range of outdoor activities.

"I've got my grandson up here next week," he said. "We're going fishing and going to do some grandpa-grandson things."

Field said leading a building project in Alaska is very similar to building in Tennessee, aside from some construction details, like arctic entries and the building time frame -- a year here compared to six weeks back home. But, all in all, the former technical theater university professor said Willow's first Habitat home is coming together perfectly.

"I think it is going very, very well," he said.