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The sister of the late Richmond Community College Basic Skills Recruiter Ann Munn, Mary Alice Byerly (black jacket), reads from a plaque in Munn’s memoriam at the annual RCC Employees’ Christmas Luncheon at the Cole Auditorium Thursday. Holding the plaque to the far right is RCC Administrative Assistant Marcella McDonald. To the left, RCC Library Tech Shevonne Lockhart and Early College High School Liaison Kary Edmondson look on with RCC Web and Graphics Specialist Mark Lindsey.
Basic Skills Recruiter Anne Munn died in April after working with the college for more than 10 years.
RCC Counselor Tim Harris read aloud a poem he composed for the occasion.
Following his reading, he jested he is somewhat the poet laureate of the college.
“I write poems for all the college events, retirements and that type of thing,” Harris said. For this piece, Harris learned his subject matter by working with Munn on the college’s hospitality committee and through social interaction.
“She was just a really pleasant person,” he explained. “It wasn’t difficult to write a nice poem about her. She was a very memorable person, and she was taken from far too early in life.”
He explained several of Munn’s attributes he wrote about in the poem.
“The theme of the poem was basically that she enjoyed doing her recruiting, she never met a stranger, she was bossy, but nobody seemed to mind, and she was always known for her festival greetings,” Harris explained. “Throughout the years, she and (RCC Director of Recruiting Jenipher Love) could always be seen at street festivals throughout the county.”
For the last lines of Harris’ poem, he chose to predict what Munn is doing now.
“She’s probably in heaven teaching basic skills/Putting the disciples through their drills,” Harris recited.
RCC Administrative Assistant Marcella McDonald also worked with Munn and spoke of her to the audience.
“She was just such a lively little person,” McDonald remembered following the ceremony. “She was always moving fast and had a big smile on her face.
McDonald also recalled Munn being “a little bit of a perfectionist.”
“She was just a real sweet person who always smiled,” she said.
Also at the luncheon, the college handed out its service awards for employees who reached increments of five years with the college over the course of 2009.
“We know that the strength of Richmond Community College is, and always has been, its people,” said RCC Dean of Development Bill Council. Following his remarks, Council called each employee to the front of the room for recognition.
There were five employees who were recognized for reaching either their 20th or 25th year working with the college.
The employees were RCC Adult High School and GED Coordinator Lanae McGuire, Grounds Supervisor Danny Thames, Maintenance Supervisor James Brewington, Guided Studies Lead Coordinator La Wanda Goodwin and RCC Electronics Engineering Technology Head Amir Niczad.
Following these presentations, RCC President Dr. Sharon Morrissey bid those in attendance farewell.
“May you have a safe and happy holidays, and may you come back in January with a new energy and vigor to improve the lives of our students,” she said. “And may the peace of God be in your life.”
Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.
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