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What I’ll Miss
Austin Street’s trees
And the San Jac Building at sunset
The HCC Central students
I haven’t yet met
The good plans and thoughts of President Siddiqi
Who knows the value and importance
of being part of the community
The Harmon Building, my office
and especially Memorial Green
The tree lighting ceremony Karl Mayes had there
was the best event we’ve ever seen
My teammates and colleagues -- Tannaya and Joe
Those two work pretty hard
So be sure to let them know
The French Corner coffee
and some tasty hot lunches
Ardra and crew
I adore you in bunches
The college operations team
always there when you need them
Another hard-working group
But wouldn’t want to be them
The South Campus
The Culinary Arts Building, the Heinen Theatre
and Theater One
Such iconic places
Nothing like them under the sun
The XR/VR Lab, The Honors College
Fashion Archive, fashion shows and Fashion Arts Center
Central is known for these outstanding features
They don’t get any better
I’ll miss the unsung heroes
who quietly save the day:
Wayne Mayson
Abraham Zermeno
Greg Jones
Annette Olvera
Keffus Falls
Sylvia Saenz
Annick Boutros
Jeena Mahanta
Patrick Jesse
Charles Whigham
Ruben Duran
John Robertson
and those TDI guys...
The office is too hot or cold again, fellas,
Please adjust as soon as you can stop by
I’ll miss Mr. Nicolai pushing his cart and wearing his straw hat
He cleans the campus every morning
I always looked forward to that
The faculty, deans, leaders and staff members who make Central unique:
Genevieve Stevens
Jackie Brannon Giles
Suzette Brimmer
Kris Asper
George Davis
Stacy Welcome
Filecha Lucas
Roman Alvarez
Leslie Landrey
Erica Hubbard
Charlet Fairs
Walter “Matt” Adams
Dalton McWhinney
Eddy Van Damme
Andrea Bonner
Cheryl Whitaker
Katie Rangel
Lorrella Cobb
Carla Webbles
Rumela Bose
Cassandra Mack
Sandra Shimba
Ana Calvo
and Amy Tan
The list should be longer
I’m working in as many people as I can
And, you know, to be sure
there’s only one Sue Moraska
But watch out
Get her to talking fast on something
and sure enough -- she’ll task ya
I’ll miss the San Jac H.S. alumni
Sybil Davis’ annual drive-by toy drives
the numerous flier or marketing requests that came in rather late
I remember the one that hit my inbox at 10:48
I’ll miss the event planning
the collaborations with Student Services
and long-time employees such as Annette Lott
Can you name anyone more devoted Central than Annette?
Don’t waste your time. The answer is I think not.
I’ll miss the days I worked in the basement
at HCCTV
My husband and I painted that Green Room
so TV guests would know exactly where to be
I’ll miss working on the Black History Scholarship Gala
Which I did for more than 16 years
The BAC is comprised of HCC employees
I especially admire and revere.
I’ll miss frequent talks with my good NE colleague Sheron Bruno
An excellent sounding board, marketer and friend
We’re experts at talking on the phone for two or three hours
While efficiently tying up loose ends.
I’ll miss HCC’s people
its students
the old days
and the events that brought us all together
But not the days we were forced to close the college
because of ridiculously bad weather
Looking back over 18 years
HCC has certainly provided an extraordinary ride
I’ve held posts at Southwest, Southeast
HCCTV and Central
and spent a good amount of time in Sunnyside
I pulled weeds – big and small – from HCC’s sidewalks
when they dared to rear up and pop through
People around the college considered it unnecessary
and such a strange thing for me to do
But I cared deeply about HCC and Central College
and treated it like my home
I strive for excellence and wanted the college to look its best to any visitor
Whether they hail from Houston or from Rome
There’s so much more I can say
So much more I can cover
Thank you, HCC
You’ve been a place like no other.
See you around the bend!
Debra McGaughey
AVP, UHD
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