With a song in his heart, a mop in hand, and a 0trademark clock around his neck, John ‘Rhythm’ is a man who can make anyone smile.

‘I’m an outgoing person,’ John said. ‘I say ‘Hi’ to people, make people happy, say positive things.’

John ‘Rhythm,’ refusing to give any other name but that, is a janitor at Syracuse University whose unusual sense of style and friendly manner have caught people’s attention – even if they have no idea who he is.

‘He seems to be a person who has a very optimistic view on life,’ said Ariel Dupas, a front desk assistant at the Office of Greek Life and Experiential Learning, and a senior acting major. ‘He’s always in a good mood, he’s always smiling, always very friendly. When I say ‘Hello, how are you doing?’ he always replies ‘Never felt better.”

Having only been working at SU for five years, ‘Rhythm’ has already become a part of SU’s counterculture. It seems that many have at least heard about the janitor in the Schine Student Center who wears a huge clock around his neck a la Flava Flav, likes long pink shirts and has different words shaved into his head. But due to his early schedule – from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. – many have yet to witness him firsthand. Those who do, though, are always glad to pass him by.

‘I look forward to greeting him every day,’ said Shelly Patel, the coordinator of the On-Campus program at SU. ‘Before I met him I was too serious.’

Patel, who has worked at Syracuse for three years, said John helped her see beyond being a perfectionist with her work.

In return for helping people see the brighter side of things, John has earned himself a repertoire of nicknames, ranging from ‘Superstar’ to ‘Music-Man,’ that are called out by a random assortment of people who happen to walk by and see him.

While John’s daily routine has him work through Shine – doing everything from washing walls to cleaning bathrooms – he said he still enjoys every minute of it because he can make things look nice for the students, faculty and other university workers.

Angelica Stockdale, a Schine Copy Center worker and a junior communications design major, said her favorite memory of John was a time when his unusual sense of style caught her by surprise, she said.

‘One day we both came in with matching clothes,’ Stockdale said. ‘It was kind of interesting. I never thought I was as outgoing as he was in my attire, but apparently, one day I was.’

This style, those who know him said, is truly unique.

‘He dresses the way he feels,’ said Amanda Chichester, a worker in the Copy Center and a sophomore public relations major. ‘If he feels like wearing pink one day, he wears pink. And if he feels like wearing blue, he’ll wear blue. It’s just the way he is.’

This style is not just limited to clothes, though. Chichester remembers how she, one day, came into work to find that John wrote the word ‘sweet’ in his hair.

‘I guess he was happy,’ she said. ‘It’s just a reflection of who he is. He’s real cool.’

Even John’s trademark dollar-store blue clock that he wears around his neck is more than just a symbol.

‘I decided to wear it to make sure I was on time,’ John said. ‘Also my watch used to get in the way when I clean toilets; now it doesn’t.’

The clock, the hair, the outfits – Schine workers say they never know what to expect from John ‘Rhythm.’ But he always looks very sharp, Patel said.

She said, ‘John’s really unique and a gift to us all.’

Published on November 2, 2004 at 12:00 pm