In 1968, a first-class stamp cost 6 cents, The Beatles had released "The White Album" and Louise Dohner began working in the cafeteria at Akron Elementary School.
Louise Dohner takes a break from her
duties in the cafeteria at Ephrata
Middle School.
'Lunch lady' for 40 years
She was looking for something to do when her youngest child started first-grade. The Akron resident wanted the summers off with her three kids, and she wanted something to do close to home.
"I went out one door and into the other," she said.
Forty years in one job might not seem lengthy for folks in Lancaster County, who are known for their work ethic and stability.
'Lunch lady' for 40 yearsBut Dohner is exceptional. Most school support staff do not last that long, officials surveyed from 15 of the 16 local school districts said. Several schools do have people with 20 to 30 years of service. In the Penn Manor School District, there is a guidance secretary with 48 years.
Support staff also do not receive enough recognition for their dedication, school officials said.
"Employees like Louise, who work for many years in our school district, make a huge difference to the organization — setting a wonderful example of dedication and commitment," said Ephrata Area School District Superintendent Gerald Rosati.
As the world has changed, Dohner has remained a constant.
But she doesn't think anything of it.
The 68-year-old, who was born in Denver and speaks with a Pennsylvania Dutch accent, has worked for 55 years and will work as long as she's able.
"You have to have a reason to get up in the morning," Dohner said.
When she was 13, she became a waitress at a diner in Denver. She was one of 13 siblings, and as she got older she delivered the Reading newspapers, in addition to working her waitress job.
"You do what you are told to do, that's the way I brought up," she said.
Dohner transferred from Akron Elementary to the cafeteria at Ephrata Middle School in 2002.
A typical day for her involves making 200 cold sandwiches and helping out "where I am needed."
Connie Fink, who is the baker, has worked for 29 years in the cafeteria at Ephrata Middle School.
She admires Dohner's spirit and work ethic.
"She handles the kids well, and she's devoted," Fink said. "She doesn't call in sick, either. Some might fake being sick, but that's not her."
Fink, who is 53, admires Dohner's ability to keep going.
"I can't imagine working there without her," Fink said. "She makes me laugh."
Pre-teens are not always fun to be around, either. Attitudes have grown more brusque over the years, Dohner said.
But the ones who are kind make it worth the while.
"They tell you the food is good when they come through the line," Dohner said.
That little bit of praise means much.
School lunches overall have transformed in the past 40 years, Dohner said.
The price is up to more than $2, and children no longer drink milk from a glass bottle. And while the cafeteria workers still have to serve so many ounces of vegetables and meats, students have more choices, which is not always a good thing because the kids struggle to make up their minds.
In 1968, "you took what was there for lunch, and that was it," she said.
Dohner, who cooks all day, says she never minds cooking for her husband, Roger, who is retired.
And she does not mind cooking for her three grown children — Wendy, 49, Jim, 47, and Joe, 46 — and her three grandchildren, who live in Lancaster County.
When they come to visit, their favorite dish, she says, is her potato filling.
People ask her if she plans to retire.
Not yet, she said. Her benefits are good — she gets snow days and summers off, so she can garden.
"I don't know what I'd do with myself in the winter," she said.
Staff writer Robyn Meadows can be reached at rmeadows@LNPnews.com or 481-6025.
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