Larry Gates is the director of EMU Dining. He has worked at EMU since 1980. He is a 1986 recipient of a Gold Medallion Award, presented by the Division of Student Affairs for exemplary service to the EMU community.

I have been in the business of making and serving food for more than 40 years, but it has been the past 27 years at Eastern Michigan that have challenged my skills and given me the opportunity to grow, both personally and professionally.
I began my career at EMU Dining in September 1980, when I received a call from Carl Christoph, then the director of food services, regarding the position of manager for Dining Commons ONE. I had been working at the University of Michigan as food production manager when Carl called – a call that I will never forget since it changed my life.

For the next eight years, I was a general manager of food services. In 1988, when Michael Crabb came to EMU as the new director, our department altered its name to Dining Services, and I became associate director. Michael became both mentor and friend and when he retired in 2000, I became director of what is now called EMU Dining.

When I was invited to be featured in Exemplar, I thought about my years at Eastern. I was reminded of challenges, events, friendships and colleagues who have come and gone, students who have worked for our department, and the tens of thousands of meals we have prepared and served to EMU’s campus and the Ypsilanti community. I reflected on how my wife and son have embraced this campus and participated in its sports and cultural activities.

I remember my son at age 3 being held by Charlie Batch (now with the Pittsburgh Steelers) and Earl Boykins (now with the Milwaukee Bucks) in Dining Commons ONE, my family joining me at the MAC basketball championship game in Toledo, and attending the football’s California Bowl victory in Fresno, Calif.

As I walk around campus, I am struck by how the physical, academic and political landscape has changed since the early 1980s. Buildings have been renovated and new buildings built. Those buildings were the site for many activities we have catered over the years, including receptions for University presidents, plus hundreds of special events, community gatherings and seasonal celebrations.

We also have catered building openings for Porter, Marshall, Halle Library, Pease Auditorium, the Corporate Education Center, the Gary M. Owen College of Business, the Convocation Center, The Village, Eastern Eateries, Dining Commons ONE, CrossRoads, Market-Place and the EMU Student Center.
I am also proud of our many satellite operations that have helped make EMU Dining an integral part of the campus, and I am equally proud of the many national food franchises we have brought to Eastern, making us a major player in university food services across the nation.

Although the service we provide can be overwhelming at times when I think about all the events we have catered over the years and helped to support, it makes me feel proud to know that I am associated with an incredible staff that helps contribute to the University’s success. Not only do we have a great staff, but we are fortunate to have incredible students working for us. We employ more than 500 students, and we have the opportunity to watch them grow into adults – hoping that their experience with us and at Eastern will help them grow into adults who will contribute to the world in which we live. That means a lot to me.

One of the highlights for me came in the winter of 2006 when we hosted the Midwest Regional Conference for NACUFS (the National Association of College & University Food Services). We hosted 350 delegates from nine states for four days, including educational sessions, tours of EMU’s campus, the Ypsilanti community and a Ford Motor Co. auto plant. And, of course, we provided our guests with a unique dining experience.

After 27 years at EMU, it is my “dining family” that helps to keep me positive and focused. I am proud to be an employee at Eastern Michigan University. It’s been great!