Terry Blackmarr
Terry L. Blackmarr, assistant to the dean in general studies, has been selected as Staff Council’s Staff Member of the Month for February. 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?
Blackmarr: 25½ years
IOM: What is your hometown?
Blackmarr: Oxford.
IOM: Talk about your favorite Ole Miss memory?
Blackmarr: I have lots of beautiful memories from my years at UM. Last December, however, I was invited to attend a luncheon and received a plaque for 25 years of service to the university. It was so meaningful to look around the room at the others who had worked here for a quarter of a century and to be honored among them, people like Don Cole and Charlotte Fant-Pegues.
I was given a photograph of the entire group, as well as a photo with Chancellor Vitter giving me my plaque, and I have those on a shelf in my office to remember that special ceremony marking that important milestone.
IOM: What do you enjoy most about your position or the department in which you work?
Blackmarr: The people I work with. I am blessed to have a truly amazing dean and wonderful, collaborative staff that support, encourage, inspire and challenge each other to grow personally and professionally.
IOM: What do you like to do when you are not at work?
Blackmarr: Anything “crafty,” like cake and cookie decorating and crocheting.
IOM: What is one thing on your bucket list?
Blackmarr: I am always telling my friends and family that I want to go to Bora Bora and stay in one of those huts right on the water. Maybe that will be how I celebrate my retirement someday.
IOM: What is your favorite movie?
Blackmarr: A golden oldie, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” with Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. I always cry at the final scene.
IOM: What is your favorite Ole Miss tradition?
Blackmarr: Tailgating in the Grove before a football game. I haven’t done it in a long time, but it is so fun to see so many people picnicking before a game.
IOM: What is a fun fact about you?
Blackmarr: I had the experience of spending three of my childhood years living on the island of Bermuda. I will never forget those years as a kid, going to some of the world’s most beautiful beaches almost every day. The last month we lived there, we got to live at the Pompano Resort, an experience for a child comparable to living in Disneyland.
IOM: If you could have lunch with anyone alive or dead/fictional or real, who would it be and why?
Blackmarr: I would love to have lunch with Billy Graham, one of the most kind, humble, insightful, inspirational and influential people of our time, a spiritual adviser to several presidents.
IOM: What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
Blackmarr: Loyal, caring, content
IOM: If you could visit one time or place in world history – past, present or future – what would it be?
Blackmarr: Same as on my bucket list; I would love to visit Bora Bora. It looks like one of the most beautiful places on earth.
IOM: If I could be an animal for a day I would be ___.
Blackmarr: A cat, because my cat is curious, incredibly energetic, smart, agile and can climb up on almost anything, but he’s also very sweet and affectionate.
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.