Fifty years later, still going strong

Jean Bennett sits in her office tucked in the back of the North Campus Diner, gazing at walls covered in half a century's mementos.

Her latest decoration — an award she received two weeks ago marking her 50th anniversary as a Dining Services employee — lies on the floor waiting for wall space.

She would have even more awards to hang, but she's given many away to her employees during her career, she said.

"They ask if they can have them and I say, ‘Sure, you can have it,'" she said. "They want it, so I just give it to them."

From her first day as a dish washer on Oct. 23, 1961, to her current position as unit manager of the North Campus Diner — a title she's held for 15 years — Bennett has treated her employees with this motherly generosity, according to co-workers.

"You got to show some love; life is too short. You're here today and gone tomorrow," Bennett said. "We laugh, and when you laugh that means a hell of a lot."

During the last 50 years, Bennett's caring spirit has made her one of the most beloved faces of Dining Services, according to employees and coworkers who have often begged her to stay.

"The only reason why I haven't retired is because some people who work for me have threatened me not to," she said. "They want me to stay as long as they're here."

Now, Bennett oversees the entire North Campus Diner — more than 200 employees and a $13 million operating budget. No matter how many people she supervises, Bennett works to make them closer than just coworkers.

"She makes it like a family. She has a charisma, or something like that, like nobody else," said Mila Priadilnikova, a manager under Bennett.

Along with her love of human interaction, Bennett's leadership ability also helped her climb the chain of command, Priadilnikova said.

"Her management style — you can't find it anywhere else," she said. "You cannot go to university and get these skills. You have it or not, and she does."

Born in Richmond, Va., and raised in Washington, Bennett grew up caring for her two sisters, despite being the middle child. She said she quickly learned she would have to take care of herself, too, if she wanted to be successful.

"My mother used to charge me for rent when I started working at 16," she said. "Nothing was given to me — I had to earn what I got."

And she carried that mentality into the workplace.

During one instance in the late 1960s when Bennett and her coworkers were not paid on time, she took matters into her own hands.

"I went out there and said, ‘Nobody is going to do any work until we get our checks,' and everybody just sat down," she said. "And that's when I knew that I had the ability to lead people."

After washing dishes in an old dining hall in LeFrak Hall, Bennett moved on to other dining room areas, where she did everything from cook to check student IDs.

No matter what position she held, Bennett worked to make students — including several long-time employees — feel at home.

"There's this warm hospitality about her," said Dining Services Senior Associate Director Joe Mullineaux, noting Bennett was the first person he met as a student at this university — even before meeting his roommate. "I've worked for her and I've worked with her, and she's always treated everybody with great respect."

For now, Bennett said she's staying put. Whether her days are smooth or rough, she finds a way to enjoy each moment, she said — and that keeps her going.

"Every day, there's a joke to me. Something funny happens and we laugh about it," she said. "There's some sad moments where people got fired who shouldn't have gotten fired, and you don't want to know why, but there's nothing you can do about it so you got to move on. Every day is a happy day for me."

israel@umdbk.com