Gabriel Angel arrived at Prospect Elementary in Clarendon Hills in October 1997, when the building was brand new. He's been cleaning it, maintaining it, and shoveling its sidewalks ever since. Now 61, the head custodian is retiring after 29 years as the longest-serving among District 181's four retirees honored this spring.

"I always knew I would be here a long time," Angel told the Chicago Tribune. "I really like it. It's like my second house."

Angel's career at Prospect is the only real job he's ever held. He worked briefly in a restaurant before landing with an outside cleaning company that served Oak School in Hinsdale, then was hired directly by District 181 to staff the newly built Prospect. He never left.

His duties covered everything the building needed: cleaning, maintenance, snow removal. Over nearly three decades, he transitioned the school from labor-intensive floor stripping and waxing to greener cleaning materials and modern flooring. The people, he said, stayed the same.

"I like helping students and teachers; it's my second family," Angel said. "I want it to be as clean as their homes, since they have to spend so much time here."

Mike Duggan, District 181's director of buildings and grounds, worked alongside Angel for 14 years. He described Angel as always the first to arrive and the last to leave, especially during winter. Principal Kristin Cummings called Angel someone staff could count on to quietly make sure everyone had what they needed.

Angel is retiring in part because his mother is ill. He plans to travel back and forth to Mexico to care for her. He already has a grandson, and his daughter is expecting a baby girl soon.