My gratitude journal prompt for today was to share a memory I was thankful for. After hearing the news of this great man's departure from this Earth, I decided there was no other memories I should share today except for those I was so blessed to share with Dr. Bob Rogers.
It all started when I was maybe nineteen or twenty years old, I honestly can't remember the exact age I was, but I was young and as green as they come. I had been trying for months to get a job at Mississippi State University as a secretary with no luck at all, and then I got this interview in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences. I went into the interview and there sat a table full of professors. Y'all! I was beyond terrified! They asked me many questions which I attempted to answer and as I left the interview I never expected to hear from them again. To my surprise, I got a call for a second interview! It was in that second interview that Dr. Bob Rogers asked me this question. "What would you do if we told you to go to the bakery across campus just to get us do-nuts?" (These may not have been his exact words, but they were similar to this.) I jokingly said I wouldn't mind going as long as they shared their do-nuts with me. They all laughed, and once he told me that answer is what helped me get the job.
I worked for 3 professors, one of which was Dr. Bob, and out of all the others, he was the one I was the most nervous to be around. He was demanding, a perfectionist, a little rough around the edges with a harsh tone in his voice. You didn't want to dissappoint him. I had heard rumors that he was hard to work for, so I wasn't about to do anything to mess up this new opportunity. It was a yes sir, right away sir, whatever you say sir kind of work relationship. He would push you to learn whatever it was he needed you to do and learn it fast. Sometimes, I guess the ones that push you beyond what you believe you are capable of yourself, are the ones you admire the most in the end. The more I got to know him, the more I realized how much he cared about people. I realized he wasn't scary at all and that he was a very nice person. Once you worked with him, you were part of his family. I remember when I announced that I had gotten baptized, he took me to his church for lunch and a worship service. He talked to me about God and my decision to become a Christian and how happy he was for me. Years later, when I made the decision to move on to another department on campus, he cried when I told him I was leaving. I had never realized how much our friendship and my working for him had meant until that day. Even after I left he kept in touch. I would always look for his truck at Hardee's if I rode with my husband to work, and if he was there I'd go inside for a quick hello and a hug. If I posted something on Facebook asking for an opinion, he would call me up and tell me in person. I always listened to any advice he offered me. We texted here and there and talked some over the past few months. The last time I spoke with him he was stuck inside and couldn't drive anymore. He wasn't very happy about that at all. When I heard they were putting him in Hospice the other day, I texted his wife about coming to see him. She told me the condition his health was in and that she would let me know when they got him settled if I still wanted to come see him, but I didn't want to remember my friend that way. I wanted to remember his smile, his laugh, the sound of him walking on his cane, hear him yelling people's names in the halls of the Animal and Dairy Science Department. I wanted to remember his strength, his demand for respect and his determination to get things done the way he wanted it done.
So today, I am thankful that God brought this man into my life when he did and for giving me these precious memories to keep in my heart. I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to work for such a wonderful, caring man and to have been a part of his life. Rest in Peace Dr. Bob. We shall meet again on glorious day!
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