JCCC Lays Off Employees

JCCC Mascot Jean Claude in front of the Bookstore (photo from JCCC Bookstore Facebook page)

Posted to the Johnson County Community College electronic mail server, Infolist

From: Infolist [On Behalf Of Chris Worthington]
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2016 1:48 PM
To: JCCC
Subject: [jccc] Departing Colleagues

It is with heavy heart that one must express their appreciation in this manner for the many full-time bookstore employees who were unceremoniously separated from the College Bookstore today – without allowing them the courtesy of interacting with their colleagues from across campus prior to their dismissal – no chance to raise a glass of iced tea or share a cookie while reflecting back on their time here…no opportunity for us to express our appreciation for their years of tireless, underappreciated service to the students, staff, & faculty of this institution.

Apparently the decision was made to restructure the bookstore operation, eliminating most all of the current FT positions(except the manager, assistant manager, and accounting staff), and allowing those staff who would be interested to reapply for one of a small handful of new positions.

On the way back from picking up my lunch in the COM building, I ran into a couple of them as they were leaving with what can only be described as shell-shocked expressions….the light that previously emanated so brightly from their eyes gone…replaced with tears as they struggled to keep themselves composed. I am thankful to have had a moment to hug, shake hands and offer my appreciation for their time here. I hope that if any of you have the opportunity – you will do the same.

Derrick Reynolds, Brian Misenhelter, Justin Foley, Bev Gfeller, Pat McNabb, Tina Farris, Dee Ann Head, Sean Neilon, Mahogany Goines, Aaron Crook…you will all be missed. I wish you well as you transition into the next chapter of your lives. Perhaps we will cross paths again, and I will have the opportunity to express my appreciation for you more appropriately. While I surely may not have conveyed this enough while we worked together…my life has truly been enriched by our time together in the bookstore serving this institution.

Humbly with respect and gratitude,

Chris

Chris Worthington
JCCC Bookstore Manager 2001-2011