With John Haley’s help, it’s possible to dedicate a campus residence hall, and eat it too.
Haley, a postal clerk at U-M Flint, is known for his elaborately decorated cakes, one of which was a replica of the college’s first residence hall created for the building’s dedication.
What began as a quest to fulfill the wish of his mother Barbara for an intricate retirement party cake has developed into a campuswide reputation for exquisite specialty cakes.
Haley made that first cake 25 years ago, and now periodically is commissioned to bake for university events ranging from the residence hall dedication to a 50th-anniversary party.
After the first cake, says Haley, “Everyone told me I did a good job, and it all started from there.”
With no formal baking education, Haley cites his childhood toys as his decorating inspiration.
“I played with Lite-Brite and Play-Doh as a kid, and that made me good with design,” says Haley.
Preparing the cake is a two-day process that includes a “slight tweaking” of the ingredients in standard cake mix, mixing homemade frosting, and a decorating procedure that takes anywhere from four to 20 hours, depending on the size and design of the cake.
“It really is more about looking than eating,” Haley says.
Over the years, he has picked up decorating tips from friends in the Genesee Valley Cake Club, as well as from family members. “I couldn’t have done it without my mother,” Haley notes, referring to his larger cakes.
The same dedication he puts into his baking also goes into his job as a postal clerk at the university.
Born and raised in Flint, Haley originally applied for a temporary position in the mailroom after various part-time jobs in the mail distribution industry. He has worked at the university for 20 years and remarks that he still “learns something new every day.”
He has become quite knowledgeable with the various aspects of mail delivery and postal regulation over the years. His main duties include metering mail from the mailroom and taking care of bulk mailings.
Although he mentions new technologies as the greatest challenge of his job, Haley also describes the merits of a new barcode system for sorting mail.
When used correctly by department heads, “The barcode can save about 10 cents a letter for bulk mailings,” Haley explains. “It’s just a matter of people understanding the process and being able to save money.”
Dealing with various departments on campus, Haley prides himself on maintaining an “easy, open flow of communication” with the people he serves. “It’s the people who make this job great,” Haley says.
These people are the ones who have given Haley a reputation as a “cake baker extraordinaire,” although he only bakes for the university when other places cannot make them.
As for Haley’s next cake, it won’t be baked until UM-Flint’s Annual Cake Race at the Welcome Picnic in the fall. Every runner to complete the race gets a cake, and Haley’s cheesecake is “usually taken by the first or second person to come in.”
The weekly Spotlight features staff members at the university. To nominate a candidate, please contact the Record staff at [email protected].
