Pharmacy student constructs
new building between classes
The past school year has been an interesting time for University of Montana pharmacy student Keith Persicke. Between classes the senior helped construct the new $10.4 million addition to UM's Pharmacy/Psychology Building - a structure he likely will be taking classes in next January.

Keith Persicke helped build the new Skaggs Building.

Persicke works for Anderson's Masonry Commercial Construction of Kalispell, the company that laid the bricks for the multistory addition between November 1998 and April 1999. In between his classes - which have names like pharmaceutics, pharmacy law, and applied anatomy and physiology - he would don a hard hat, dust mask, goggles and ear plugs and help get the building off the ground.

The future pharmacist did little actual bricklaying - that job is reserved for the full-fledged masons - but he did tasks such as build scaffolding, mix mud, operate forklifts and cut bricks.

"I'm called a hod carrier or mason tender," Persicke said. "Working on campus like this was real convenient for me. But I would have to shower before heading back to class."

A 1994 graduate of Missoula's Loyola-Sacred Heart High School, he landed a job with Anderson's Masonry right after graduation, and he has worked stints with the company ever since. Persicke has worked on a variety of UM construction projects, including the Gallagher Building, Pantzer Hall and the basement of the Lodge. He also has assisted with construction at Montana State University-Bozeman, and his employer has whisked him away for jobs to points as far-flung as Babb, Hamilton, and Spokane, Wash.

"The best part of this job is traveling and the summer, because it's a nice break from the books," Persicke said. "But by the end of summer you realize the value of a good education, and it's nice to get back to UM. It's a nice contrast."

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