Diners entering Thorne will no longer be greeted by name by checker Doug Reil. Reil's last day as a checker at Thorne Dining Hall was Tuesday, March 28.
Reil left because of post-polio syndrome. Muscle atrophy resulting from the syndrome made work very difficult for him. Although Reil will use his new free time to rest, he also wants to go back to the recording studio.
"My health has gone downhill, so I'm going to take it easy," Reil said of his current plans. "I'm going to get back into playing music again."
"I'm working on a CD I've been putting off for a long time. I'll try to get that produced and recorded," Reil said. He plays all of the instruments on the recordings and writes his own songs. He added that Chris Derbyshire, who runs Super Snack, is "teaching me the engineering side of recording."
Reil, who began work at the College in September 2003, held the Sunday-Thursday dinner shift.
Of all things he will miss, Reil said that the students would be the first.
"They're very intelligent, smart kids. I look forward to coming to work every night. The way they go about their lives, studying hard—I've never seen more hardworking kids in my life—Bowdoin College kids," he said. "I feel like a proud parent when I see them. I want to make sure they're doing well."
In turn, the Bowdoin community will not forget him.
"Doug was one of the more personable employees at Thorne. Each time he swiped my card at dinner he greeted me by my name, and made the start of my evening that much better," junior Thu-Nga Ho said. "His contributions to Bowdoin have surely had a positive effect on many Bowdoin students, and he will be missed."
"We have really enjoyed having Doug as a part of our team," said Thorne Hall Unit Manager Mark Dickey.
"Doug's friendly face and personal greetings will be missed by students and staff," he said.
Reil, who turns 50 in September, noted that he will be available for special events, like graduation, if needed.
"I'm going to miss the kids. I'm going to miss seeing them nightly. I'm going to miss the staff that I work with at Thorne," he said.
Reil did have one request.
"I would love to have students feel free to email me anytime at dougreil@mac.com," he said. "Tell me how you're doing, where your life is taking you."