{"id":24571,"date":"2024-03-19T19:54:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T23:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/?p=24571"},"modified":"2024-03-19T19:54:00","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T23:54:00","slug":"tusculum-honors-cherished-cafeteria-worker-as-he-celebrates-25-years-of-valued-service-to-the-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-honors-cherished-cafeteria-worker-as-he-celebrates-25-years-of-valued-service-to-the-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Tusculum honors cherished cafeteria worker as he celebrates 25 years of valued service to the university"},"content":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 For 25 years, Travis Parton has served as a light of joy for students, faculty and staff when they eat in the Tusculum University<\/a> cafeteria.<\/h3>\n
\"Travis

Travis Parton stands beside the cake made for his anniversary.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Chuck

Chuck Sutton, left, speaks as Travis Parton, right, listens.<\/p><\/div>\n

Tusculum honored this beloved cafeteria worker Tuesday, March 19, with a ceremony that highlighted everyone\u2019s affection for him, his excellent work and his playful side, which brightens everyone\u2019s day. Included in the event was a proclamation from Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum\u2019s president, declaring March 19 as Travis Parton Day at the university.<\/p>\n

The designation drew cheers and applause from all who attended the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cTravis is a special young man, and he brings smiles to everybody\u2019s face every day,\u201d said Chuck Sutton, dean of students and interim associate vice president of student affairs and retention. \u201cHe has a very positive energy all of the time. We celebrate Travis and his wonderful contributions to the university.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parton and Dom Donnelly, Tusculum\u2019s associate athletic director for communications, started working at Tusculum in 1999. They frequently converse in the cafeteria and periodically cross paths at other times.<\/p>\n

\"Travis

Travis Parton cuts his anniversary cake.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Dom

Dom Donnelly speaks during the ceremony.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very proud of Travis and all he has accomplished during his time with us,\u201d Donnelly said. \u201cHe has touched many lives. A lot of students have come through here, and they hold him in high regard. A lot of folks will ask me, \u2018Is Travis still at Tusculum?\u2019 I tell them, \u2018Absolutely.\u2019 They always ask about him. God bless, you, Travis, and thank you for blessing us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parton, who has Down Syndrome, is responsible for cleaning dining tables during his shift in the cafeteria. Donnelly has described the tremendous pride Parton takes in completing his work and said he will decline people\u2019s offers to assist him with his duties. On March 19, though, others handled the task so he could enjoy this special day reserved for him.<\/p>\n

The other side of Parton is his love of good-natured pranks on his co-workers and faculty and staff members he knows well. His most popular is to turn around the chair of a Tusculum employee when that person has set down items at a table and headed to another part of the cafeteria for more food. When people ask him about his actions, he jokingly denies involvement or says someone else directed him to do it, adding to the good times.<\/p>\n

He also engages in similar fun and games with his co-workers. It is a sign of his affinity for the other person that he chooses this approach.<\/p>\n

Parton regularly banters with others, and they relish the opportunity to spend time with him. Sutton is one of his frequent targets and closest buddies.<\/p>\n

\"Here

Here is Travis Parton\u2019s anniversary cake.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Chuck

Chuck Sutton, left, has fun with Travis Parton after the ceremony.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cTravis has developed a pretty strong bond with me,\u201d Sutton said. \u201cWe have connected in many different forms. He\u2019s also connected to all of the students through our relationship. Travis is very special to Tusculum and myself as well. He holds a special place in my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dean Zoch, director of Tusculum\u2019s dining services, recognizes the love everyone has for Parton.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had the good fortune of working with him for the last three years,\u201d Zoch said. \u201cWe can talk about the amazing job he does. He has created such a bond with the faculty, staff and students. Everyone knows Travis. Everyone looks forward to seeing Travis every day. I appreciate that Travis cares so much about his job. I also really appreciate his concern about my electric bill because he is always turning off my light on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Travis

Travis Parton, second from left, celebrates his anniversary with left to right, Dom Donnelly, Dean Zoch and Chuck Sutton.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Dean

Dean Zoch, right, presents a jacket to Travis Parton, middle.<\/p><\/div>\n

In recognition of Parton\u2019s special day, Zoch presented him with a Tusculum polo shirt and a jacket from Chartwells, Tusculum\u2019s food service provider. The cafeteria also provided a cake for him and set out a table that had trivia about him and an opportunity for people to write a card to him.<\/p>\n

In his resolution, Dr. Hummel encouraged faculty, staff and students to further support Parton.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay Tusculum family members take the day to reflect on the blessing Travis Parton is to all of us and congratulate him on this special achievement,\u201d Dr. Hummel said.<\/p>\n

More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 For 25 years, Travis Parton has served as a light of joy for students, faculty and staff when they eat in the Tusculum University<\/a> cafeteria.<\/h3>\n

Tusculum honored this beloved cafeteria worker Tuesday, March 19, with a ceremony that highlighted everyone\u2019s affection for him, his excellent work and his playful side, which brightens everyone\u2019s day. Included in the event was a proclamation from Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum\u2019s president, declaring March 19 as Travis Parton Day at the university.<\/p>\n

The designation drew cheers and applause from all who attended the event.<\/p>\n

Read the full article…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[131,91,7,19,1,6,172],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nTusculum honors cherished cafeteria worker as he celebrates 25 years of valued service to the university :: Tusculum University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-honors-cherished-cafeteria-worker-as-he-celebrates-25-years-of-valued-service-to-the-university\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tusculum honors cherished cafeteria worker as he celebrates 25 years of valued service to the university :: Tusculum University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"GREENEVILLE \u2013 For 25 years, Travis Parton has served as a light of joy for students, faculty and staff when they eat in the Tusculum University cafeteria. 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