Terrace Dining Room staff member Anthony Beagle passed away unexpectedly earlier this month.
Beagle died at the age of 51 on Nov. 11 and a service was held on Nov. 21, according to his online obituary. The University’s food provider Chartwells did not notify the AU community about his death.
Freshman Valerie Nagel said she and her friend freshman Sabrina Liu decided they wanted to acknowledge Beagle’s passing since students were impacted by his death, even though the University did not recognize it.
“When I heard the University didn’t write anything, that’s when I felt like a student needed to take initiative, because it is not fair to the community or the family,” Nagel said.
Nagel said the Chartwells staff helped them set up a memorial at the entrance of the dining hall. Students wrote messages on the poster board and notes with his picture on it.
Chartwells District Manager Robert Floccari said that while he only knew Beagle for two months, he was affected by his passing.
“Anthony was just that type of person who was friends with everybody and he will definitely be missed as part of our operation,” Floccari said.
TDR staff member Jerry Lewis said he was good friends with Beagle and began to call him “nephew” because of their close relationship.
Lewis said Beagle always believed the students came first. He said if a student was smiling, so was Beagle.
“My mother told me that when a person dies, you remember him as you see him,” Lewis said. “I remember him smiling all day and being happy.”
Nagel said she hopes the University starts to recognize the impact that dining hall workers have on students.
“If we are a community that includes everybody, you get to know the people that work there,” Nagel said. “You see these people every day and they kind of become your family who cheer you up.”
kcarolan@theeagleonline.com
