INFORMATION FOR

 
Thomason with fellow Duke employees she's known for over 20 years

Fidelia Thomason ’76 began her employment at Duke working in the student labor pool where she cleaned kitchens, computer clusters and headed a crew that painted residence halls during the summer. Twenty-eight years later, she ended her tenure at Duke as the director of capital projects and planning for Residence Life and Housing Services.

“What I’ll miss most are the wonderful people I got to work with – some of whom I’ve worked with almost since the beginning of my career,” said Thomason.

On January 9, a celebration was held to honor Thomason for all her accomplishments, which includes her final project, the completion of the Few Quad renovations.

“Most of my years at Duke, I was able to feel like I was given important work to do, the tools to do it with, then left alone to get it done,” Thomason said. “It was a great feeling that people trusted you and had faith in you.”

Audry Snipes, who worked on Thomason’s support staff of 25 years, has always been impressed with her work ethic. “One thing that I will always admire about Fidelia,” Snipes said, “is her willingness to take whatever is dished out to her and to proceed to do her best.”

Tony Bumphus, associate director for facility planning and operations, and Shawhan Lynch, west campus facility manager, have known Thomason for 27 and 29 years respectively. She looked out for her people, they said, and expected good work from them in return.

Bumphus, who was hired by Thomason in 1982, said she has always been “very professional, very disciplined and expects nothing but the best from her team.” Lynch added, “Fidelia always kept the housekeepers in the forefront of her thinking because they would be the ones working in the building after the architects and construction folks went away.”

When asked about her post-retirement plans, Thomason responded with a smile “I’m going to get enough sleep. I’m going to get healthier. I’m going to read more serious books. I’m going to museums more. I’m going to get my personal world in order – my house is a disaster.”

Duke thanks Fidelia for her years of dedicated service, and we in Student Affairs wish her well in her retirement.