Catering supervisor Krystal Wilson spends a great deal of her time in the PAC restaurant and has seen dozens of Employee of the Month parties. And because the restaurant is a popular spot for EOM and other events, she probably didn't think much about it when Brian Patton sent her through the kitchen doors into the restaurant on Friday morning.
But this time when Krystie walked in, she was met by a hearty round of applause that stopped her dead in her tracks. Surprise! Krystie was Employee of the Month for October.
Brian made the official presentation. "You all know Krystie," he began. "She's probably the most familiar face of the Food Service. She goes all over campus and is a wonderful emissary. She's my best hire so I claim some credit for that. She really deserves this award every month."
Brian explained how Krystie had worked for the Food Service as extra help since 1991, until 2000 when he was finally able to convince her to apply for a full-time position despite her protest that she was "no good at taking tests."
Krystie's acceptance speech was short and sweet: "Thank you to everybody." Then, realizing she wasn't working at this particular event, she exclaimed, "I don't know what to do!"
Her mother and several other family members were among the crowd gathered to help celebrate.