Mormon Times: Couple finds work rewarding — even without paycheck

PROVO — While visiting the Brigham Young University campus in 2002, Bob Wakefield went looking for a teaching opportunity while his wife attended meetings.

Instead, he walked right into an indefinite commitment that comes with full-time hours but no paycheck.

Bob and Cindy Wakefield are full-time service representatives within the BYU athletic department who coordinate service opportunities for Cougar athletes. They're in their fifth year working in that capacity. Although neither is a graduate of the Provo school, most of their waking hours are devoted to the BYU athletic department on a volunteer basis.

"We have a lot of couples that find out about us, and they all want to replace us until we tell them we put in 60, 70 hours per week," Bob said. "This is a full-time job."

As the former president of two Fortune 500 companies, Bob felt he could be of service as a volunteer instructor in the school of business. His wife was a member of the President's Leadership Council at BYU-Hawaii, and the couple came to the Provo campus for an annual conference. Bob met with BYU advancement vice president Fred Skousen, who told him about a need for service volunteers in the athletic department. Skousen asked Wakefield if he liked sports.

"He didn't know me very well," said Bob, who has three sons who attended BYU. "I'm a dyed-in-the-wool BYU fan."

Skousen asked Bob to discuss the matter with his wife, but he instead immediately accepted the position.

"I said, 'No, I'll exercise unrighteous dominion and say yes,"' Bob joked.

It turns out, Cindy did have plenty of say in the matter. Feeling that she still had work to accomplish, Cindy sought assurances that she could balance her new responsibilities with her remaining BYU-Hawaii commitments.

There was also another issue. Cindy didn't care much for athletics.

But since being set apart by BYU President Cecil Samuelson and working for the past five years facilitating service opportunities for Cougar athletes, Cindy has come to love the games.

"These are her kids who are out there playing," Bob said.