Counseling psychology professor Robert Hayes has been a faculty member at Ball State for 37 years. During that time, he has served under seven university presidents, seven department chairs and six deans.
Hayes was recently awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash award for his advocacy of improvement in psychological counseling and for his dedication to education.
The award is presented to Hoosiers who provide distinguished service to the state or the governor.
"This is the crowning occasion for me for the years I have been at Ball State," Hayes said. "The award is so meaningful to me coming from Gov. (Frank) O'Bannon because he is one governor who reserves these awards for people he considers as having made a contribution to the state."
The award was presented to Hayes by Indiana Rep. R. Tiny Adams, D-Muncie, at a department faculty meeting attended by representatives from the dean's office and Ball State trustee Ceola Digby-Berry.
"There is a lot of love for the work you have done over the years," Adams said during the ceremony. "I have never had the opportunity to give one of these to a true friend."
Adams and Hayes became friends while working to bring a critical incident stress management team to the Muncie area in order to help firefighters, police officers, EMT's, dispatchers and hospital workers.
Hayes was nominated for the award by Sharon Bowman, chair of the Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services.
"More than the award, I was so pleased with the letters of recommendation from Sharon Bowman and Rep. Adams," Hayes said.
As a member of the Red Cross Aviation Incident Response Team since 1997, Hayes has been active in American Red Cross Disaster Services since working in Los Angeles following an earthquake in 1994. His most recent assignment was in Washington D.C. following the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon.
"One of my reactions after arriving in Washington was to realize I was still a target," Hayes said. "I had feelings of wondering whether I would ever get home again or see my family."
Upon arrival in Washington on Sept. 14, Hayes assumed duties as a mental health officer for the American Red Cross disaster response. He was in charge of 75 local mental health workers as well as 75 other workers from across the nation.
"We were providing services at the Pentagon for the recovery workers, at Dulles International Airport for the families of the passengers, at the hotels where military families gathered and around the community for airline and government employees," Hayes said.
Hayes has provided mental health assistance to workers and disaster victims at 21 disaster sites since 1994, including the Korean Airlines crash in Guam, the TWA flight 800 crash in New York and the 1999 AMTRAK crash in Bourbonnais, Ill.
"Nothing I have ever done has given me so much personal satisfaction," Hayes said. "As my wife, also a disaster mental health worker, says, 'It's what we do.'"
Hayes is pleased to have found a way to contribute his ability and skill through disaster mental health work. The work came at a time in his career when he was ready for a new challenge.
He credits Provost Warren Vander Hill, Teachers College Dean Roy Weaver and Bowman with supporting his work and allowing him leave for disaster assignments when needed.
"For many years, I felt I should be doing something when a disaster would occur," Hayes said. "I just didn't know what to do or how to gain access to the sites. The American Red Cross provided the answers and the entry to the work."
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