College recognizes long-time service of employees
The following individuals will be recognized for 35 and 30 years of service during the College's annual Employee Appreciation Day, June 11, 2010. - Ed.
35 years of service
Delores Lee
William & Mary's online catalogue wouldn't be what it is today without library specialist Delores Lee.
Lee has been with the College for 35 years, 32 of which she has spent cataloging. When she started her job, she thought she would only be here temporarily until she found something better. That thought came and went. Lee said she has never had to look for another job because she enjoys
hers so much.
"She does a little bit of everything," said Lee's supervisor, Trish Kearns. "She is a team player, and a wonderful, positive person. She absolutely loves working for the College and just wants to do her best."
Some of Lee's duties include cleaning up the online database, maintaining the integrity of the catalog and making sure it is accurate.
Lee said her favorite part about working here is the stability, flexibility, and interacting with her colleagues and her supervisor.
"I enjoy working with the students," said Lee. "When I first came here I was the age of the students, and it seems like they keep getting younger and younger."
Teresa Lemons
Teresa Lemons is an administrative program specialist in the Career Center, where her main function is bookkeeping.
Lemons has been an employee at the College for 35 years, and said that God has made it possible for her to
stay here this long. Lemons said she puts God first, then her family - with her colleagues here like a second family to her.
"We enjoy each other," said Lemons. "It is a lot of hard work, but we enjoy working with each other."
When Lemons started working here she did not think she would still be here more than three decades later. She was simply testing the waters.
Lemons started in Human Resources where she stayed for 2 ½ years before she moved over to the School of Education, where she worked for 12 years. The rest of her career William & Mary has been spent in the Career Center.
"My job has become my home away from home," said Lemons. "I enjoy what I do very much and I also enjoy the workers very much. It is more of a family environment in the department I work in."
Josephine Barnett
Josephine Barnett arrives at William & Mary Hall every morning before some students go to sleep from the day before. She arrives at work at 5 a.m. each day -- a time that was a little hard to deal with at first.
"If I stood against a wall, I knew I'd be sleeping," she joked about the early hour. "But I got used to it."
Barnett has worked in housekeeping at William & Mary for three decades now. She came to the College after working for 20 years at Eastern State Hospital.
Though she used to perform housekeeping duties for recreational sports, she now is charged with keeping the offices and conference rooms around William & Mary Hall clean.
Barnett says she loves getting to interact with friends and coworkers throughout the day. And when she has a day off, she eventually gets bored and she looks forward to getting back on the job.
Ellen Cloyed
Cloyed is a serial cataloger in the Swem Library, where she holds the title of Library Specialist Senior. She provides access to serial publications, books, electronics and applications. She also helps install exhibits.
Cloyed, who has been with the College for 30 years, said her time here has allowed her to make her job into something she enjoys profoundly and that fascinates her every day. She loves that she has been given opportunities to expand her job description.
When Cloyed first came to the College, she worked in the Circulation Department in Swem and later moved to cataloging. It did not even cross her mind whether or not she would still be working here today; after all, she was only in her early twenties.
"I am very proud to be a part of the William & Mary community," said Cloyed. "It really means a lot to me."
Floyd Cowles
There was a time in baseball where no one was more valuable than the "utility" player. He could do it all: run, hit and field, play infield or outfield, and be at his best on a moment's notice.
Floyd Cowles is the Commons' utility player.
For 30 years, Cowles has worked in the dish room, delivered knives, forks and spoons to the utensils station, and gone about his business with quiet efficiency.
"He just really likes what he does," said Larry Smith, director of dining services for the Commons. "We tease him a lot because he's not the fastest guy in the world - we call him ‘Hurricane Floyd' - but he's very steady and the type of man you need to make things run smoothly."
Cowles is well known for flashing his contagious smile at every student he passes, serving as ambassador of sorts for the Commons.
"He is very good to the students," Smith said. "He has a great rapport with them."
Lynnette Jenkins
If you ever have a question about growth in higher education, Lynette Jenkins is the woman to ask. She's witnessed it first-hand.
Jenkins worked at Old Dominion University when it was Old Dominion College and at Christopher
Newport
University when it was Christopher Newport College. She watched new buildings go up at CNU, as well as here at W&M.
Jenkins said that even if the College undergoes dramatic changes, "the essence that I love about W&M will never change."
In her 30 years here Jenkins has taken on many duties. She trains faculty and staff in the use of the eVA procurement system, provides eVA security, and serves as the eVA Help Desk. She also manages and reconciles procurement data in eVA and Banner.
Jenkins said when she first started at W&M she hoped she would still be here today. She also took advantage of the knowledge one can gain from the classes offered at the College.
"It has always been my goal to remain at W&M until my time to retire," said Jenkins. "I enjoyed the classes I took with excellent professors dedicated to their disciplines. It has been a pleasure working in this historical environment with such beautiful landscaping."
Pedro Jones
Not only does Pedro Jones know the William & Mary campus like the back of his hand, he also knows the people. As a William & Mary patrol officer, he's driven or walked just about every inch of the College's 1,200-acre campus. His police chief, Don Challis, refers to Jones as the "face of the department."
"For most of Jones's 31 years here, he has been the public face of this department -- fortunately, he has a pretty good face," Challis said at a recent event honoring Jones.
While Jones cares about the institution, he cares about the people here more - the students, faculty, staff and his fellow officers.
Rebecca Searle, who patrolled with Jones on night-shift for more than 12 years, credits Jones for her, and other female officers', success in the department. "He never doubted I could back him up in the field," she said. "He paved the way for female officers."
Jones officially "retired" from the College several years ago, but returned immediately to the job. Since then he's worked as an auxiliary officer "whenever called upon," his supervisor said. The short of it is that Jones loves this place. If you ask around, you'll find that the feeling is mutual.
Vanessa Walker-Cotman
Vanessa Walker-Cotman is a line server and cook helper at the Marketplace in William & Mary's Campus Center. For three decades now, she has spent her days preparing and serving food, helping out in the kitchen and providing great customer service to the hundreds of William & Mary people whom she sees each day.
"I help anywhere they need me to help," she said.
Walker-Cotman, who has worked in the same area during her entire time at the College, said that her favorite part of the day is when the Marketplace is busy.
"It makes the time go by fast," she said.
However, she also enjoys the mornings, when the staff members first come in and greet each other, and the evenings when everyone is getting ready to go home and "acting all silly."
Walker-Cotman said she has stayed at William & Mary for 30 years because of the people - the students, faculty and staff members that she serves as well as those she works with.
"It's a fun place to work, and you meet so many people," she said.
One of the people she met eventually became her husband. She met John Cotman, a foreman in ground maintenance, in 1989 and they married in 2006. Walker-Cotman also picked up a "child" on the job. Earlier this year, she met a Class of 2010 graduate who was going through a tough time in her life. Walker-Cotman unofficially adopted her as her daughter.
The impromptu adoption makes sense, because for Walker-Cotman, the Marketplace is more than a place to work; it's a family.
"It's like a home away from home," she said.
