diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/indexing/IndexWorkerThread.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/indexing/IndexWorkerThread.java
index 8ca506c98..59b5aef39 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/indexing/IndexWorkerThread.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/indexing/IndexWorkerThread.java
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ class IndexWorkerThread extends VitroBackgroundThread{
     protected final int threadNum;
 	protected final IndexerIface indexer;
 	protected final Iterator<Individual> individualsToIndex;
-	protected boolean stopRequested = false;
+	protected volatile boolean stopRequested = false;
 	
 	private static AtomicLong countCompleted= new AtomicLong();		
 	private static AtomicLong countToIndex= new AtomicLong();		
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ class IndexWorkerThread extends VitroBackgroundThread{
 	    while( ! stopRequested ){	        	       
 	        
             //do the actual indexing work
-            log.debug("work found for Woker number " + threadNum);	            
+            log.debug("work found for Worker number " + threadNum);	            
             addDocsToIndex();
                 
             // done so shut this thread down.