Equally Yoked: Barbara and Suzette
“A quote? Tell them that ´a strong friendship doesn’t need daily conversations or being together. As long as the relationship lives in the heart, a true friendship never parts.’” — Suzette Roberson
Barbara Mitchell has been working at Vanderbilt since 1971. Her colleague and good friend, Suzette Roberson, has worked here for since 1994. It is 7:15 AM on a Friday morning, and there are relatively few people in Rand dining hall. I’m standing near the register, notebook in hand.
“Students are my first priority,” Barbara says to me, looking at me firmly. Suzette elbows her playfully. “I’m your first priority.”
“You mean something to me,” Barbara admits, smiling and looking upward. “Even on a Friday?” Suzette looks at her, one eyebrow raised. “Especially on Friday,” Barbara replies.
They laugh and then Suzette turns her attention to a student. The smile remains on her face from the gentle humor.
“What are you having?” Suzette asks. An open to-go box, a murmured reply, a swipe. “Have a good day” is repeated from cashier to consumer. The person walks off, and Barbara Mitchell and Suzette remain at the registers. Barbara has been there, standing beside students, for forty-five years. Her colleague and best friend, Suzette Roberson, has been at Vanderbilt for nearly twenty-three years.
Barbara began working at Vanderbilt as a freshman in high school, and continued working after she graduated. Suzette heard about the job from a friend who was a Vanderbilt secretary. While noting the toil of the position, both thank Vanderbilt; for Suzette, working at Vanderbilt has helped send her kids to college. Her daughter went to Nashville State and her son is a second-year at TSU studying Engineering. The job has helped Barbara too; her sons, high school graduates, were able to attend higher level education and professional school. One went on to play football and study at TSU for two and a half years. Today, he works in the janitorial service. Her other son graduated from Hillsboro High school and went on to technology school for “automobiles and collisions.”
But Vanderbilt hasn’t just provided them with jobs and opportunities for their sons, it also enabled Suzette and Barbara to meet each other and become friends. For nearly twenty years now, they’ve supported each other through the tough times. Barbara tells me that “We’ve been friends forever. We always be friends. We are equally yoked. We stay. Thank Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior, our Lord and Savior. He gets us through a lot.” Suzette adds that “We’re friends on the job,but whenever anything goes wrong with our family, whatever, we must be there for each other.” After twenty years, it seems nearly unimaginable how many family disasters and arguments have accompanied the women on their walk into Rand in the early morning. Barbara attributes the way she has survived it all are to Jesus, and others, who help her through.
It’s not just Jesus or Suzette, though. Students’ attitudes matter too. As Barbara says, “You may be feeling some type of way and then a student comes in and says ‘I love your hair’ or something. It’s good for the soul.” She smiles, thinking about it. Suzette agrees, adding, “I like to hear ‘I’m going to take a final.’ I like to say ‘Well, good luck with that.’ I love interacting with the students.” She giggles. “Around finals, though, things can get crazy. Students get crazy. We’ve seen some crazy things while we’ve been here.”
I ask Suzette and Barbara what they treasure most about each other. The question leads to some playful banter. Barbara says that she loves Suzette’s “Smile. Her patience. All above and all below. We are up sometimes and down sometimes but all above and all below.” Suzette laughs and says (in a slightly more serious voice) “What they don’t know is that Barbara is very witty.” Barbara smirks at this. “Suzette, you’re funny too.” Suzette jabs her, “You had to hear it to say it.” Barbara looks at me. “Put that she’s very bossy. You like to boss me.”
Suzette smiles and then looks at me with a slightly more serious expression. “You can come to Barbara for any wisdom, any knowledge. She encourages me to do the good. That’s it.” Barbara pats her hand and they smile at each other. Even after twenty years, it’s nice to be thanked.
