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Date 7-10-06
Contact David Tisdale 601.266.4499
WITH PHOTO
Hattiesburg—Bob Lowe says every day is a
new adventure in food services, which is what attracted him to the
business that eventually lead him to a 30-year career serving meals
to students, faculty and staff at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Lowe retires from his post as the university’s food services director
this week, three decades after he joined the Southern Miss family
in 1976 as director of the University Union Food Services, now Seymour’s
Grill.
Before that he briefly managed a campus eatery known as Exit 13
while working for Jackson’s Valley Foods Company. “It’s exciting
work, especially being in a college environment,” he said. “As you
get older, being around them (students) helps you stay younger mentally.”
Lowe took over as director of the university’s food services in
1984. He said the biggest changes he has seen are the addition of
more eating venues across campus in recent years, including the
Starbuck’s Coffee Shop in Cook Library, the Power House Restaurant
and the Fresh Food Company in the Thad Cochran Center, set to open
later this year.
Lowe credited former Southern Miss President Dr. Aubrey Lucas with
securing an allocation of $10 million for the new student dining
facility in the Cochran Center. “It’s going to be really nice,”
he said of the new facility. “We’ve really come a long way as far
as our food service delivery capability at the university.”
It was at the tail end of his career that he faced his biggest
challenge. When Hurricane Katrina struck last August, Lowe said
he had to literally cut his way through the debris strewn across
Highway 49 as he traveled from his home in Magee to campus the evening
after the storm passed through. Once on the Hattiesburg campus,
he was immediately faced with a challenge – feeding the students
who remained in their residence halls and rode out the storm - without
the benefit of electricity or running water.
“By the time I got to campus, there was not a light in sight,”
he said. “I had a flashlight, and I went into my office and just
sat down, and tried to think of a plan. There was no way to call
anybody, you couldn’t do anything. I just thought, ‘What can we
cook?’”
“We cooked on gas stoves in a makeshift dining room downstairs
the first few days before power and water came back on. Once the
power came back on, it got a little better. It’s something I’ll
never forget, I tell you that,” said Lowe.
Lowe credited his staff for helping get through the challenging
days following Katrina. “We fought it out and hung in there” he
said. “It worked out real good. We didn’t have to beg anyone to
show up to work, they just came and pitched in.
“I’ve really been blessed with a great staff all these years,”
he said. “They’ve been tremendous. I just can’t say enough about
them.”
Lowe and his wife, Olivia, who is food services director at Millsaps
College, plan to see the country after both retire. “I’ve got a
five-wheel camper and we’re going to do some traveling,” he said.
Southern Miss Vice President for Student Affairs Joe Paul praised
Lowe as a national expert in student food services. “Bob’s real
mark is his passion for students and this university. He gave above
and beyond every day he came to work here.”
Click to enlarge
Bob Lowe
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