Meet Deborah Livingston, June’s Staff Member of the Month

Deborah Livingston, a University of Mississippi custodian, has been selected as Staff Council’s Staff Member of the Month for June. 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? 

Livingston: 18 years, have begun my 19th year this year.

IOM: What is your hometown? 

Livingston: I am originally from Anchorage, Alaska, but have lived in Oxford for the last 29 years.

IOM: Talk about your favorite Ole Miss memory.

Livingston: Well, I don’t really know what my favorite memory would be, but probably the longest lasting and the first one that comes to mind usually is having to work a football weekend years ago, back when the Grove would be so packed you could hardly walk through it to get to the Student Union.

I was walking with my co-workers and stumbled on the sidewalk and made the fatal error of trying to catch my cup of ice from falling and found myself on my back spinning around like a spin toy. All I could think was, “when you get up … laugh it off.”

Mary Sisk had always told me that embarrassing things were going to happen in life and sometimes all you can do is just laugh them off. So that’s what I did, and my co-workers did too. It was really embarrassing but it was kind of funny too. Thankfully, YouTube wasn’t quite so popular back then as it is now. 

IOM: What do you enjoy most about your position or the department in which you work? 

Livingston: I like the peace and quiet of the library.

IOM: What do you like to do when you are not at work? 

Livingston: I like to watch sermons by pastor John MacArthur lately, and I used to write poetry a lot in the past, not so much these days though, God kind of has me in a place where His words are more important to me, than me focusing on my own words.

IOM: What is one thing on your bucket list?

Livingston: I think the one thing I would like to do is fly in a helicopter. It seems like it would be fun and you could safely be as close to the sky as you want and just be able to really see everything below.

IOM: What is a fun fact about you?

Livingston: I have a twin sister, which isn’t always so fun when they get you mixed up with one another. Ha. 

IOM: If you could have lunch with anyone alive or dead/fictional or real, who would it be and why?

Livingston: Jesus for sure. But if I were to pick a person other than him, I would say probably Pastor John MacArthur. My first thoughts are he is honest and knowledgeable; you would leave lunch better than when you sat down. 

IOM: What are three words you would use to describe yourself?

Livingston: A bit of a “loner” type maybe. Kind of quiet, reserved. 

IOM: If you could visit one time or place in world history (past, present, or future), what would it be?

Livingston: When I was younger, Disneyland, but now that I’m older, probably the Holy Land.

IOM: If I could be an animal for a day I would be _____ .

Livingston: I love birds, but cats I just love a lot. You kind of get the full package with them. They’re adventurous and protective, warriors and hunters, sweet at times, scratch the crap out of you the next. They have pretty eyes and sweet voices. When they love you, you know it in the way they purr and lay in your lap. They’re also independent.

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.