Fannie Clemmons, supervisor in Food Service, joined what was then Beaufort County Hospital at the age of 18. This month, she’s celebrate 45 years with the system.
“I had two kids and was trying to raise them on my own,” the Martin County native said. “I came from a working family, and my parents said I had to get out there and hustle.”
Fannie joined the Food Service team, where her mother also worked, and started her career as a dishwasher. She worked with a lot of older team members who showed her the ropes.
“From dishwashing, I moved to patient service line to cafeteria to baking – I’ve been all over the kitchen,” she laughed. “You had to learn how to do anything. If they needed you to help in a certain area, they trained you.”
That training included working in catering, which Fannie said she enjoyed but was a lot of work, and baking.
“We did light baking in those days,” she said. “We made biscuits and cakes and pies from scratch. People really loved that.”
While she didn’t plan to stay at ECU Health for 45 years, Fannie said the work has been a blessing to her and her family.
“This has been a home away from home,” she said. “This is my getaway place, where I come to think about other people and not myself. I’ve been able to meet so many people – not just co-workers but patients and others outside the organization. There are patients you meet you get real attached to. They come and go, and you don’t ever forget them.”
A lot has changed in those 45 years, she said.
“Some of the processes have changed, and other things like serving more healthy foods and more options. The hospital has also grown a lot, but the more we grow, the more we learn.”
Although she’s 70 years old, Fannie said she hopes to continue her work with ECU Health – while also spending time with her children and grandson.
She’s also teaching the new team members, just as she was taught when she first started.
“Each age group is different, and you have to adapt to each of them. But I feel valued and appreciated when I can help someone beside myself. That’s the way I was raised, and that’s the impact I want to make – to inspire them.”
When asked if she had any advice for team members joining ECU Health, she offered these words: “Life is what you make it. Be positive, be an inspiration. If it’s helping someone, it’s good enough.”