A native of the Philippines , Rose said she told her husband Jimmie to find her first job in the United States once her son James was old enough to go to school .
“ My husband ( Jimmie ) worked here first and started in 1988 or 1989 . I had mentioned to Jimmie , ‘ I don ’ t care what kind of job , just find me a job .’ He said let me check in the cafeteria .
Once she was interviewed , she was hired on the spot .
“ This is the first job that I have ever had in the United States ,” Jones said .
She remembers the days when the cafeteria used to be in the library on the Athens campus and all of the special moments she has had with former students .
“ I miss a lot of the students from basketball to volleyball to softball and all of athletics . When they return to campus , they are always asking about me and I have a super experience with them . I am always happy when they see me and I see them .”
Michael Cobb is the new Aramark Food Services Director and said when the time came to make new changes , the obvious choice was to honor Jones with her own station .
“ What we wanted to do was freshen up the dining room with some signage and graphics and to name each station like it was a stand-alone restaurant ,” Cobb said .
“ When we came to where we serve the home cooked meal , we kicked around several ideas ,” Cobb said .
Considering who normally works there , a light bulb went off . They decided Mama Rose ’ s would be perfect .
“ It is just like her own little restaurant here at Trinity Valley Community College ,” Cobb said .
Jones said she never believed it would come true until the morning after the signs came up to each station .
“ I was surprised with my sign when I saw it ,” Jones said . “ I was happy because everyone calls me Mama Rose .”
Rose has made an impact on each student she come into contact with .
“ I am happy about it and in my life , my family ’ s life , I thank the college for giving us a life and took us in like a family ,” Jones said . “ I get emotional just thinking about the students .
“ I keep having people ask me when are you going to retire ? I say why would I want to retire because I have a good job , good people to work with and students and good children every
Greater Athens Magazine | December 2022 | 7 semester . I never have a problem with the students .”
Bryan Dotts with Information Technology attended TVCC and said he noticed that smile every day .
“ She was always so nice and helpful when I was a student here ,” Dotts said . “ I loved her and it always made my day when I came into the cafeteria to see her .”
Cobb said to have a jewel like Mama Rose on his team means so much to him as the director of the department .
“ Rose is really a fixture here . All of the students know who she is along with the faculty and staff ,” Cobb said . “ She is also a great coworker for all of the employees here with Aramark . She makes sure everything happens the way it is supposed to . She always has a smile on her face doing it . It is huge for her to say that she doesn ’ t want to retire and we hope she doesn ’ t retire anytime soon . We love having her here and it is nice to have employees who love coming to work and love what they are doing . It shows to the rest of the employees and she is a mom not just to the students but to the employees .”
For Jones , being a part of the community is big for her and her family . She says when she is not at the Nest or Cardinal Gym , she is always being asked where she is . She admitted sometimes she needs a break .
“ People at Cardinal Gym always notice when I disappear in that station because they will always ask where is Rose ?,” she said . “ I have a great relationship with everyone along with the board members . They are just like my family .”
Cobb said you can tell that Rose cares about every person who comes into her little home away from home .
“ She is a Mama for a lot of these kids ,” Cobb said . “ She knows them by first names and what they like and don ’ t like . She can almost tell you ahead of time what they will want to eat before they walk in the door . She is just like everyone ’ s mom .”