MARYVILLE, Tenn. — When Thisday "Stay" Chissay first showed up to work in 1988, he climbed on the back of a garbage truck and emptied cans along neighborhood streets in Maryville.
32 years later, he's a respected crew leader who oversees and trains several employees in Maryville's Engineering and Public Works Department.
"He's that guy that's gonna show up every day. He's going to be early, ready to go with a good attitude. He's positive even when trucks break down or things happen. He looks at the bright side of everything and just keeps going, so you're going to have that really nice flow in the day with Stay running things," Sanitation Superintendent Dan Cantwell said.
While most of the work he does is behind-the-scenes, Chissay was recently recognized as the 2020 recipient of the Murphy Snoderly Award; an honor given each year to one public works employee in the state.
"I was actually surprised and shocked. I was grateful to have such an honor," Chissay said.
The award comes during what Chissay said is the department's busiest year as people spend more time at home due to the pandemic.
Cantwell said Chissay and another crew leader helped the department transition to an automated fleet of trucks, so transitioning to a socially-distanced workflow was seamless.
"They were basically self-quarantining. There's just one guy in the truck. There's nobody on the back, and so it made it really safe. You're not even touching the can," Cantwell said.
While you might not get the chance to meet 'Stay' Chissay, his work is appreciated on nearly every street in the city of Maryville.