<p>Joey:<br />Hi, I'm here with Rich Epperson, the most seasoned lifeguard at the Fox Valley Park district. Rich, thanks for being here.<br /><br />Rich:<br />My pleasure. I'm happy to be here.<br /><br />Joey:<br />Well, you're breaking barriers. You are inspiring people. Why at 63 years old, why did you decide to become a lifeguard?<br /><br />Rich:<br />I was encouraged by a friend of mine that works here. And I got on the website and I thought, "I could do this. There's no reason why not." So I applied. And I didn't tell my wife until I found out if I got the job or not. Well, when I told her, she was like, "You can't do that. You're sick. You just had a liver transplant. You're old, you can't do that." And I said, "I'm not old, I'm not dead, and I already talked to the doctor and he said it was fine and try it. So I'm trying it."<br /><br />Joey:<br />You seem like you have this new youthful energy.<br /><br />Rich:<br />I blame it on the kids. And the kids in the pool, I got to remember, "Okay, he's three years old. Now, talk to him like he is three years old. Don't scare him." Because I'm not that good looking, and I'm old looking, and they're like, "Oh my God, who is that guy?"<br /><br />Rich:<br />But no, I do feel younger. I'm getting out more, I'm exercising. The pandemic, everybody was on quarantine, but to me that was no big deal because I was recovering from the transplant and so I was locked up anyway, couldn't go anywhere. I was recovering.<br /><br />Rich:<br />And my career in the Marine Corps as a sniper was basically, I was by myself anyway, so I was used to being alone. So it's no big deal. But now it's a whole new world out there. Wow, look at all these people. And you get to interact and talk to people and you learn about them, they learn about you. And the kids are just a ball to watch. They're just wandering around the pool or trying to swim. It's hilarious. And I love it. And it makes me feel younger.<br /><br />Joey:<br />Oh, what did your coworkers think when they see this seasoned young man coming in?<br /><br />Rich:<br />Originally it was, "Oh, that's the old guy." I've heard them call me the old guy, grandpa, behind my back. And I don't care. I'm an old guy. And once they found out that I was fair and I was kind of cool to work with, and it was all right. And then I find out later that, okay, they were scheduled to work. "Well, who's the MOD, who's the manager on duty?" "Well, it's Rich today." "Oh, all right, I like him, he's good to work for." There are three managers at Phillips and we all have different styles, and some of them have been there a lot longer than I have and have dealt with aquatic parts throughout Illinois and so on and so forth. This is my first year, so I just followed everybody's and did what I thought was right and fair and best for everybody.</p>