At the end of a typical shift on Thursday, February 15, Miss Connie (as she’s affectionately known at Randolph-Macon) rounded a corner in Estes Dining Hall to find a surprise. Friends, family, coworkers, and students were gathered to recognize the long-time dining services employee with a Yellow Jacket Salute from the College’s Society of Alumni. 

Constance Holden, or “Miss Connie,” has been the smiling face of Estes Dining Hall for 48 years. While her omelets, waffles, and fried eggs are renowned, what makes her a pillar of the RMC community is her genuine care for students, faculty, and alumni. Quick to offer a smile and a caring question, and with an uncanny ability to remember the names of every student that passes through Estes, Miss Connie has brightened the days of countless Yellow Jackets.

“Over the past 48 years, we have seen a lot of changes at Randolph-Macon College,” Executive Director of Alumni Relations Rhonda Toussaint ‘85 said. “New buildings, new majors, new professors, and new students. But one constant over those years has been the smiling face of Miss Connie in Estes Dining Hall.”

“That is just who she is. She makes you feel welcome. She makes you feel seen. She makes you feel heard. If you speak to alumni, they ask, ‘Is Miss Connie still there?’ That’s the impact she leaves on people,” said Rachel Milburn, General Manager of Parkhurst Dining Services. “She is a person who genuinely cares about people. That is a quality you cannot teach people to have. She is one of the most authentic people I have ever had the pleasure to work with.  I think I can speak on behalf of the entire dining team when I say we are the lucky ones who get to work side by side with her every single day.”