There are few people who think of Central Methodist University’s Business Office and don’t think of Nettie Cherrington.
She began her journey with Central Methodist in September of 1978, and it didn’t take long before she made a name for herself as a reliable, dedicated employee.
According to Cherrington, it all began when Dr. John R. Smart, Jr. called her on the phone to see if she would work for him in the Allied Health Consortium. Cherrington declined the offer, as her main focus at the time was raising her two young children. Smart was committed, though, and tried again in the fall, hoping to get Cherrington to come on board before school began.
“Since I had worked for 10 years with him before, I agreed to work part-time for a while,” Cherrington said.
As Central Methodist started to feel more and more like home, little did she know a “part-time” job would turn into a full-time career, and “a while” would eventually amount to 41 years.
Cherrington began with then-Central Methodist College as a secretary in the Allied Health Consortium. She then served as a secretary in the Education Department before beginning work with the treasurer in 1986 as an administrative assistant for finance – a position she held all the way up until her retirement.
“It has been an exciting journey,” Cherrington said. “I have had three great supervisors and many wonderful co-workers.”
Over the years, she had offices in Stedman Hall of Science, Givens Hall, and five in Brannock Hall. The biggest, most memorable change for her was when she went from manually recording records in ledger books to computers.
“When I came to Central, we had an enrollment of less than 700, and today, we have over a thousand just on campus and also online and off-campus sites,” she said.
Though Central has been such a huge part of much of her life and she will miss it greatly, Cherrington said she looks forward to finding other avenues to occupy her time. She has two children – James Cherrington and wife Mindy of Columbia, and Nancy Cherrington Green of LaPlata.
“I love working outdoors, cooking, and needlework,” she said, “and I will have more time to enjoy my seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.”
Cherrington currently resides in Glasgow. Her last day working for Central Methodist was Wednesday, Feb. 20. A congratulatory retirement party was held in her honor the day before in Brannock Hall. Central thanks Cherrington for her dedication and outstanding work, and wishes her abundant happiness going forward.
“Nettie will be missed at Central,” said CMU President Roger Drake. “We will always remember her gracious attitude and servant’s heart. She will now have more time to brighten the days of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, just as she has brightened ours for the last 41 years.”