Oftentimes, the hallways and neighborhoods echo a familiar jingle of keys and the mumble of a walkie-talkie. If you are in dire need of technical assistance, a brand-new laptop or simply someone to talk to, these friendly sounds might come off as a relief. The man behind the intelligible talkie babble? Mr. David Merlan, every AP and teacher’s favorite workaholic, the man behind every working Peardeck and Padlet.
His 13 years working at Lamar are only a small fraction of his resume—Mr. Merlan’s work life began at the fresh age of five years old with his father. “My dad is old school, and he would wake me up early to work,” recounts Mr. Merlan. “I helped with landscaping, plumbing, painting–instead of having a summer like other kids do, I would wake up early in the morning and help him in his jobs.” He quickly began adopting an enthusiasm for employment — the last time that Mr. Merlan was unemployed was for one of his high school years, which he quickly made up for later in life.
“There have been a couple of years where I worked two jobs. I was bored at home,” says Mr. Merlan. “I was a stock person for a furniture place and I’m also a sound engineer over the weekends.” His free time is dedicated to his secret passion for billiards, which he enjoys playing on weekends since he has no time throughout his workweek. On a particularly rough day, Mr. Merlan gets approximately 170 emails that he needs to answer from parents, students, and staff with issues that he needs to resolve. “Once I get home, I am tired, I am beat. I just want to close my eyes and take a long nap,” says Mr. Merlan.
As hard as his IT work seems, Mr. Merlan took on a second but voluntary job — making connections with students in need. “If I can help at least one kid in the school year, then I’ve done my job,” says Mr. Merlan. “I know I’m not going to get everybody–I don’t plan on getting everybody–but if I can connect with at least one student, then that’s it for me. For the most part, those kids are fine arts, whether that be theatre, band, ‘Rettes–it’s those kids who I have the most communication with.”
Being overly passionate is something that even his colleagues take regard for and admire. Mr. Merlan’s friend and “sister” of six years, Mrs. Katie Watson, takes notice of this in particular. “It does not surprise me that people think that Mr. Merlan is a workaholic,” says Mrs. Watson. “That’s because he gives 100% to everything, he doesn’t know how to do things 50% of the way though. He’s an ‘all in’ sort of person. Should he take breaks? Yes, of course, everyone needs a recharge, but it’s just hard for people like him to take breaks when you’re just that dedicated.”
However, that “all in” mentality wasn’t something that Mr. Merlan adopted himself — it began with his hardworking father. “He put us in the mindset of, ‘if you want something, you have to work for it. Get your own money so you can get what you need to get. Work hard so that you can have an office job and not an outside job. Get to a point where you can sustain yourself and your future family’. That’s where my mindset is at.” These words had such an impact that last year, Mr. Merlan was forced to take his vacation days—a dream for many and a dread for him.
After many years of maturity and growth, he now lives out of his father’s words in his office with nothing but laptops to keep him company. “My mind is always focusing on the future,” says Mr. Merlan. “That’s why I work so much. It’s not just about m
