Loretta Sledge Thomas
Loretta Sledge Thomas, an assistant II in the Department of Procurement, has been selected as Staff Council’s Staff Member of the Month for September. To help us get to know her better, she answered a few questions for Inside Ole Miss.
IOM: How long have you worked at Ole Miss?
Thomas: 20 years on Oct. 5
IOM: What is your hometown?
Thomas: Oxford. I’ve been here all of my life.
IOM: Talk about your favorite Ole Miss memory.
Thomas: My older sister Diana graduated from Ole Miss, and my niece Katie Tidwell will graduate in May 2019.
IOM: What do you enjoy most about your position or the department in which you work?
Thomas: I love the people that I get to work with on a daily basis. These folks keep me going on bad days, and we are always laughing. Everyone encourages each other. I’ve worked under Procurement Services my entire time at Ole Miss. Then the people I talk to all over campus, the awesome faculty and staff, make my job enjoyable.
IOM: What do you like to do when you are not at work?
Thomas: Be with my family, my husband and son. We camp out a good bit, and I play the piano at church.
IOM: What is one thing on your bucket list?
Thomas: Visiting Alaska with my husband, Gale, and my son, Bradley.
IOM: What is your favorite movie?
Thomas: “Deja Vu” with Denzel Washington.
IOM: What is your favorite Ole Miss tradition?
Thomas: Ole Miss football. Love it!
IOM: What is a fun fact about you?
Thomas: Most people don’t know this, but I sing in church and used to sing in a local group when I was in my teens and early twenties.
IOM: If you could have lunch with anyone alive or dead/fictional or real, who would it be and why?
Thomas: My twin sister, Loreen. She passed away from kidney failure eight years ago. I miss her every day and really miss the time she worked on campus, too.
IOM: What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
Thomas: Christian, loyal and devoted.
IOM: If you could visit one time or place in world history – past, present, or future – what would it be?
Thomas: I’m looking onward and upward. I’ll stay right where God wants me to be today.
IOM: If I could be an animal for a day, I would be _____.
Thomas: A dog.
To nominate a colleague for Staff Member of the Month, email staffcouncil@olemiss.edu with the name of the individual you’d like to nominate as well as why you feel he or she should be recognized.