Currently Browsing: News
Odum to retire with Class of 2010
DEDICATION Carolyn Odum, cafeteria manager, rings up a student going through the breakfast line as one of her many responsibilities.
Written by Elizabeth Soules, Editor in chief
Sitting at her desk, paperwork needing to be signed and money needing to be counted, Carolyn Odum works to keep the cafeteria running.
After 29 years of working in food services, Odum, cafeteria manager, plans to retire with the Class of 2010.
“I’m going to retire with the Class of 2010,” she said. “It’s time to go and I want to move on. I’ve been here a long time so let someone else have the great opportunity to come and take over.”
Beginning her career in food service, Odum started from the bottom and worked her way up. “I started in the kitchen as a food service assistant,” she said. “After a while, I decided that I wanted to pursue the manager’s position to see if I could do it.”
Odum worked to receive her GED at the University of Georgia and took the courses necessary for the position. She obtained her goal of manager, and has held that position for the past 17 years.
With this new position, there came new responsibilities. “I had to face the challenges of being the manager of eight or nine women,” Odum said, “learning how to gauge what the students want to eat and how the different foods and vitamins affected the students.”
The reactions received from the students make the job worthwhile. “For $1.75, they get a well balanced meal,” Odum said, “and they appreciate it. We want to serve them the things they like while staying in the nutritional guideline. We know we do well when we see their smiling faces. They see something they like and their faces show how happy they are to see what we have put out there for them.”
Odum would like to send her thanks to the faculty and staff here. “I’m glad that I’ve had the opportunity to work with the faculty and staff,” she said. “They’re kind, pleasant to work with, respectful, helpful and supportive of the food services and those that work with it.”
This professional life has had many benefits for Odum. “Being in food services has helped me to be able to be a part of the community,” she said. “I get to know what is going on with the students.
“Also, the hours were great,” she added. “I wanted the summer off to spend time with my kids, and I could also drive them to and pick them up from school.”
Odum is pleased with the career she has had. “It is a simple life—a good life,” Odum said. “It’s an honest job and, if you do it well, it means a lot.”
Odum plans to do a little traveling after she retires. “It has always been a goal of mine to go back to New York City,” she said, “and I would also like to go and see a little of Washington D.C.”
Leave a Reply