On students’ best and worst days, days of eating meals with friends or steadily plowing through “The Office” with headphones on, one smile in the Great Hall is a constant.
Sheila Blaylock, or Miss Sheila (as students know her), has been a staple of the Great Hall for eight years. But the line goes quickly, too quickly to hold a conversation, and students are drawn in by the tantalizing promise of food. Still, every student notes her cheer each day, and many wonder what sort of life she must have led to bring such a joyful presence to the Great Hall.
“I’m a morning person, so that’s why I’m so good at telling everybody good morning,” Blaylock said. “Because I like the mornings, and I like to welcome everyone.”
Blaylock said she tries to memorize everyone’s names when they pop up on her screen, and she appreciates every student as they make her feel welcome too.
Blaylock was born in Texas but moved to South Georgia when she was two. She was the youngest of three, daughter to a loving mother and father, and an avid fan of Elvis Presley. At 13 years old, she was baptized by her grandfather, who was a preacher. She felt honored to be baptized by him. “Before, I felt just like a normal person,” she said, “and after … I felt so clean. Just a happy feeling.”
But the sky is not without its storms. In her late teens, Blaylock stopped going to church altogether, and years later, tragedy struck when her brother passed away. “It was on Memorial Day, so … the hurt still comes and goes.” Though she was not going to church at the time, God was still with her, comforting her in her grief.
Later that year, she was married. “That was a happy moment in my life,” she said, and spoke of her husband, Ray. The two began dating the day they met and have been together happily ever since. They celebrated their fortieth anniversary just a couple of months ago.
When asked what her greatest accomplishment is, she talks of her son Andrew. “I didn’t think I would have children,” she said. “He’s the joy of my life.”
The birth of her son also brought a different kind of joy into her life. Because she wanted to raise Andrew in a Christian environment and wanted to praise God for what He had given her, Blaylock started going back to church. “I was glad that I got to renew my faith,” she said.
Her husband, Ray initially didn’t attend church with the two of them, and he had no interest in Christianity. Blaylock continued to exhibit faith despite this, however, and when her son was about 15, Ray began to attend church with them. His faith grew from a mustard seed, given sunlight and water at Blaylock’s example of devotion, and he was baptized about three years ago.
Her son is now a registered nurse at Memorial Hospital, and he has given Blaylock two granddaughters, five-year-old Nola and three-year-old Kenli, whom she called “the joys of her life.”
Eight years ago, she came to Covenant and fell in love with its Christian community and kind students. “I just love this job and getting to see the students every day,” she said. She has been a steady presence around campus ever since.
Blaylock had some advice for the student body from what she’s learned throughout her years. She said, “Always believe in yourself … and never lose your faith.”