As the first face students often see at McCormick Dining Center, Joseph Glenn Veeder, simply known as “Joe,” has become a big part of Milligan’s campus life. He greets students and scans their IDs always with a smile, but who is the man behind the checker’s desk?
“He is the face of the cafeteria when you come in,” said Cory Edmundson, Milligan’s director of food services. “He is the first guy you see, so I think it is very important that that person is interacting with the students and gets to know the students.”
Joe, born in December 1949 and originally from Fowler, Kansas, earned his first two degrees at Fort Hays State University. Wanting to learn Hebrew and Greek, Joe’s adviser told him that one of the only places to do that would be at Emmanuel Christian Seminary (then called Emmanuel School of Religion) in Johnson City. Joe decided to follow Dave Loggins’s plea to come to Tennessee in “Please Come to Boston”, a song he always really enjoyed. In the fall of 1994, Joe started studying at Emmanuel and graduated from the seven-year program in 2001.
Joe met Edmundson at a ministry meeting at Emmanuel. In 2008 Joe started as a part-time worker in the cafeteria. His role grew over the last couple of years; he now works five to seven days a week. According to Edmundson, Joe is a constant within the team, missing very little work.
In spring 2025, Joe won the SGA Staff Appreciation Award, which is given to a staff member each year who shows dedication to the university while going above and beyond in serving Milligan and its students.
Sophomore Katelyn Williams experienced that leadership last year, when she was recovering from hip surgery. Relating to Williams, because he has had hip surgery himself, Joe checked in with her every time she walked down the stairs in Sutton Hall on her crutches.
“It is really comforting to know that someone cares about you,” said Williams. “He tries to really get to know you.”
Williams’ experience is nothing uncommon. Watching Joe interact with students is realizing that he knows most by more than just their name.
“I learn (the names) from the cards and listening to you guys,” said Joe. “Research says it takes about eight reps before you remember. You know, that happens fast within a few days, and gosh, I like it. That’s why I was a high school teacher.”
As a teacher, Joe taught a variety of classes in Kansas during the 1980s, including speech, yearbook and debate. He also coached high school football. During his time at Emmanuel, Joe worked at WETB 700 AM, a “notorious” southern gospel radio station in Johnson City. In 1998 he started preaching in churches in Virginia and Tennessee until a cataract in his eye stopped him.
Childhood wasn’t easy for Joe and his brother: their father was absent and their mother in a wheelchair, which made Joe lean on his faith. Through hardship—much of which he keeps private—Joe has leaned on God’s strength, placing his hope and trust in him to endure.
“It (faith) is the only reason I’m alive,” Joe said. “I believe in scripture and don’t necessarily believe in denominations.” Joe’s faith, which he loves to talk about, is more focused on heavenly guidance than on earthly branches of Christianity.
The same faith that guides Joe’s life has also shaped the way he serves those around him. A cafeteria without Joe is unimaginable for many Milligan students, including senior Spencer Hall. Joe has been part of his Milligan life since freshman year.
“Joe is the reason I go to the caf,” Hall said. “He always has a smile on his face, and he gives me positive energy.”
Over the years, Joe has become much more than just a cafeteria worker—he’s a living symbol of Milligan’s close-knit community. He remains a steady presence in the cafeteria, even after undergoing several hip and shoulder replacements in recent years, which forced him to take some time off.
“He is a trouper. Without a doubt he is a trouper,” Edmundson said. “We are thankful that he is here and still doing a good job, and we hope to keep him for many more years. As long as we can.”
Cover Photo: Joe from the back at his usual spot in the cafeteria on Oct. 2 (by Emily Haas)
