March 20, 2007 issue
In 1979, I was a single mom with two daughters, and looking for a job.
Somebody suggested that I apply at EMU. I remember HR was here in Welch
Hall and I took a typing test and passed. I was hired as a temporary cashier
in Briggs Hall in April 1979.
That's when you pulled class cards during registration, and a lot was
done without the help of computers. For fall and winter
registration, students lined up out the door of Briggs,
down the sidewalk where the new greenhouse now sits, and
around the corner to Mark Jefferson. A permanent position
opened up in the Cashier's Office that summer, so that's
where I officially started — taking
departmental deposits. I've worked in student accounting;
was the secretary in McKenny food service; worked as the
account specialist in the bookstore when it was in the
basement of McKenny; was secretary at the Coatings Research
Institute for four years; and went back to student accounting
in Pierce Hall. From there, I came to this office — VP
for business and finance — 12 years ago.
I've made a few friends here through the years, seen a lot of good people
come and go. It's hard to believe I've been here this long
— it goes by fast. The campus is really looking good. In
the springtime, it's gorgeous. I'm a garden nut, so I like
looking at the different plants and trees on campus, watching
them change with the seasons. There used to be a Kentucky
coffee bean tree growing near Hover. I gathered the pods
and, after a few failures, finally got six seedlings to germinate. Had
better luck with the sycamore pods. So, there's a few trees
in Scio Township with EMU ancestry.
My youngest daughter, Elizabeth, works in the Cashier's Office, and does
the same job I did when I started here. The position's been modified,
with responsibilities added to it.
The University is going through some rough times, and it affects every
one of us. I'm not sure where all the answers are. I
think we need to take care of ourselves first, make the
most of what we have and what we're good at, and the rest
will follow.
