by Kevin Cummings, Messenger Staff Writer
One night while working late at McClurg Dining Hall, Betty Payne saw a mysterious shadow near the salad bar — but there was no one there.
The next day, another employee told Betty she also sometimes saw phantom shadows at night in McClurg. Others have experienced sightings and experiences over the years, Betty said, like the elevator doors randomly opening and chairs moving in the dark on their own.
“There’s a spirit inside the dining hall,” Betty said, “but they won’t frighten you. It’s a good spirit, and you get this feeling of calm. We said it was an angel watching over the kids—making sure they ate.”
The ghost of the dining hall will likely remain even as nine McClurg employees, including Betty, retired at the end of this semester, taking with them more than 260 years of combined food service experience at the University of the South.
Betty, who managed McClurg for 12 of her 16 years there, said she and her co-workers, much like the phantom, watched over the students when they wanted someone to talk to or needed food after imbibing in too many liquid spirits.
“You try to make friends with them and strike up a conversation because they’re so homesick,” she said. “You get attached and take them under your wing. I think they look at us like grandparents.”
Richard Gipson, another of the retirees, started his career right out of high school in August 1976 at Gailor Dining Hall.
“There were a whole lot fewer students then, and it seems they were a bit wilder than they are now,” he said. “We had a lot of food fights back in those days. And that song ‘The Streak’ came out, and we had a few of them running through the dining hall naked—you just let ’em run.”
Richard, who is also a minister, said he’ll have more time to help with his church now that’s he’s retired. He also cares for several lawns and cuts and sells firewood.
Marlee Nunley, a native of Tracy City, started working as a waitress at the old Sewanee Inn when it first opened in 1957 and spent 33 years there until moving into catering for the University. Marlee said she hasn’t decided what she’ll do now that she’s retired.
“All I’ve ever done is work,” she said. “Work has always been my hobby. I’ll miss all the people I’ve waited on all these years and all of my co-workers.”
Lavonne Hawkins, originally from California, initially started baking at St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School after 43 years in production at McKee Bakery in Collegedale, Tenn.
“I plan to do as little as possible now that I’m retired,” she said, laughing. But Lavonne and her husband are going to take a trip to California and Colorado next fall.
She baked for most of her career with the University, but was a cashier for the last four years.
“I just made four pound cakes and I’m right in the middle of making some fudge,” she said via telephone, adding that she’s going to bake an Italian cream cake for her family for Christmas.
Sammy Wilkerson, known for his popular “Sammy’s Chili,” which is a loosely guarded secret that may include things like taco seasoning, Jamaican jerk spice, pinto and black beans and about a dozen other ingredients, said he loved his more than four decades in food service at Sewanee.
Many people likely know Sammy, who’s lived here since he was 2 years old, from his frequent bartending gigs at University functions or for his mimosas and Bloody Marys at the Sewanee Inn on Sundays.
Elaine Clark, another retiree, teamed with executive chef Rick Wright to spearhead the vegan food line at McClurg.
“Every year the vegan line kept getting bigger and bigger,” she said. “That added a new dimension in service for the students. It’s just different when you season green beans with herbs and garlic than when you fix them with bacon grease.”
In retirement, Elaine, who grew up in West Virginia, plans to garden, crochet, do Sudoku puzzles and maybe read some John Grisham novels.
Teresa Darvin spent 32 years working for dining services. Teresa was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 and in August of this year the cancer returned, so she went on medical leave. Teresa just finished what was hopefully her last chemotherapy treatment; she’ll find out in January if the cancer is gone.
Teresa started working at Gailor Dining Hall when she was still in junior high school, after her sister got her a job. She would pull carts of dishes and put them through the window to be cleaned. She fondly remembers socializing with students in those days, hanging out at football games and shooting pool between split shifts.
Linda Tant started her Sewanee career at the Tiger Pub at Bishop’s Common and eventually became supervisor. Linda, who worked in the deli at McClurg, was known for her fruited chicken salad, another student favorite.
“I’ll miss the people I work with and the kids,” she said.
Linda enjoys painting and cleaning and said she’s going to try and find another part-time job. She’ll also keep on cooking for her husband, Lonnie.
Clara Goff is from Chicago, and she came to the area because Billy, her husband of 49 years, is from Tennessee. Clara said she’s a “clean freak” like her friend Linda, so she’ll work on keeping the house tidy with her extra time. She and her husband are also planning a trip back to Chicago.
These nine retirees leave behind a collective legacy in the taste buds and the hearts of students, faculty and community members who visited McClurg in the last 16 to 58 years. There’s also a lonely phantom that will miss their familiar faces.
