This Thanksgiving, our deans will set aside committee meetings, emails and ZOOMS for the fellowship and togetherness of the season. In this special Q&A, Old Dominion University’s esteemed academic leaders offer a glimpse into their holiday traditions, family customs, what they are most grateful for and the Thanksgiving dishes they can’t live without.
What’s your must-have Thanksgiving dish?
The menu varies somewhat, but one constant is a corn casserole, which my son in particular likes.
Are you “team host” or “team guest” for Thanksgiving?
Team host.
Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions or memories?
Years ago, we would sometimes invite my graduate students for Thanksgiving dinner. We would eat around midday and the students would typically hang around all afternoon. If the weather was good, which it often was in Auburn, Alabama, they would play some basketball and then eat a little more from the leftovers. One year was memorable because we lost power. We still hung out and ate the second meal by candlelight.
What’s one thing you are especially grateful for right now?
This Thanksgiving we are grateful that both our son and daughter, and their partners, will be able to join us in Norfolk.
What’s your must-have Thanksgiving dish?
I love it all…the turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, mashed russet potatoes and gravy, ham, collards, roasted acorn squash and even green bean casserole! Of course, we have to have all the pie options too — pumpkin, pecan and apple. Yum! I also LOVE leftovers. There’s nothing like a turkey sandwich with stuffing, mayo and lots of salt and pepper.
Are you “team host” or “team guest” for Thanksgiving?
I am team host! And with five kids and dear extended family and friends, that means we have a full table. I love carrying on my dad’s tradition of cooking. I still use his turkey recipe every year and it always earns compliments. Even though he’s gone, keeping his recipe at the heart of the meal makes him feel present. Now that I have young adult children, they are beginning to participate more in the preparation. It’s so fun to share the experience (and the work).
Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions or memories?
Like many, we start the day watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then, I spend most of the day in the kitchen with holiday music in the background. At the table we start the meal with recitation of an Indigenous land acknowledgement statement, we say grace and then we dig in! We also play games at the table, like Thanksgiving trivia and Thanksgiving-themed “Would You Rather.”
What’s one thing you are especially grateful for right now?
There are so many things for which to be grateful! I’m constantly grateful for my amazing children, two of whom are ODU Monarchs. And I’m incredibly grateful for getting to be Dean of the Darden College of Education and Professional Studies, of course.
Do you have any nontraditional Thanksgiving rituals — travel, volunteering, alternative menus, football marathons, etc.?
Like many families, we donate to a local food bank.
What’s your must-have Thanksgiving dish?
My husband would say oyster stuffing.
Are you “team host” or “team guest” for Thanksgiving?
Team host.
Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions or memories?
Every Thanksgiving is an adventure. Photo opps are always attempted — few are successful!
What’s one thing you are especially grateful for right now?
Our health and happiness as a family.
Do you have any nontraditional Thanksgiving rituals — travel, volunteering, alternative menus, football marathons, etc.?
Being together is the priority.
What’s your must-have Thanksgiving dish?
I feel like I should make something up, but I don’t have a must-have dish.
Are you “team host” or “team guest” for Thanksgiving?
I am team host.
Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions or memories?
Our traditions evolve, as my husband was in the military, and we may or may not have had him at home during Thanksgiving. Since he is “the cook” in the family, the dishes have evolved based on his attendance. We really just enjoy being together!
What’s one thing you are especially grateful for right now?
I am most grateful for family, faith and friends.
What’s your must-have Thanksgiving dish?
Other than the turkey, stuffing (cooked in the bird), gravy and mashed potatoes, we always have delicious mini pecan muffins and summer squash casserole. Of course there is the requisite cranberry jelly from a can. For dessert, apple and pecan pie are must-haves. We have a lot of sweet potatoes at our house right now from my husband’s uncle's garden, so I guess we will have that, too.
Are you “team host” or “team guest” for Thanksgiving?
I host Thanksgiving. If guests want to bring something that is a must-have for them, we welcome that.
Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions or memories?
Thanksgiving 2020 was very special. No one traveled. We celebrated Thanksgiving with a lot of neighbors outside.
What’s one thing you are especially grateful for right now?
I am grateful for my family. We will have three generations plus neighbors gathered together. I am looking forward to spending time with them and appreciating how lucky we are to be together.
What’s your must-have Thanksgiving dish?
I live for warm cornbread that has kernels of corn in it.
Are you “team host” or “team guest” for Thanksgiving?
We focus on family first. So our small family has dinner together, then we meet friends for dessert and coffee at the home of one of our mutual friends.
Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions or memories?
My favorite memory is the year my son convinced us to go do a Turkey trot. We will never forgive him for that.
What’s one thing you’re especially grateful for right now?
I am so grateful for the health of my family. “Health is wealth” is such a true saying.
Do you have any nontraditional Thanksgiving rituals — travel, volunteering, alternative menus, football marathons, etc.?
The only ritual is to force everyone to help me put up the Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. Christmas is my true favorite holiday but I refuse to decorate before Thanksgiving.
What’s your must-have Thanksgiving dish?
We are Cuban American, so we marinate the turkey for 24 – 48 hours in a “mojo” sauce which consists of butter, garlic, cumin and other spices. On Thanksgiving, we cook the turkey in a smoker for about six hours. Our sides include fried plantain, mashed potatoes and salad. For dessert we have pumpkin pie and flan.
Are you “team host” or “team guest” for Thanksgiving?
Because we live far from the rest of the family, we just do Thanksgiving ourselves.
Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions or memories?
We are big football fans, so we have a tradition of watching football.
What’s one thing you are especially grateful for right now?
There is so much that I am grateful for that I like to pause and reflect. I am grateful for my family and consider it a privilege each day we get to spend together. I am also grateful for wool socks! Having moved from Phoenix recently I am adapting to this cold weather and am always cold. I didn’t know wool socks existed until now.
What’s your must-have Thanksgiving dish?
Jellied cranberry sauce and Stovetop stuffing.
Are you “team host” or “team guest” for Thanksgiving?
Team guest!
Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions or memories?
Pumpkin pie for breakfast.
What’s one thing you are especially grateful for right now?
I am grateful to be a new member of the Monarch family.
What’s your must-have Thanksgiving dish?
I always make a cranberry Jell-O salad using a recipe from my mom. It's been my favorite since I was a kid. My mom loved to cook, and Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday, so I have a lot of good memories of her from this time of year and I make this dish as a tribute to her.
Are you “team host” or “team guest” for Thanksgiving?
I love to do the holiday cooking and baking, but we typically don't host anybody. More cranberries for me!
Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions or memories?
We usually get up and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the dog show. Our dog, Otto, gets really mad when he sees dogs on TV, so we watch it for as long as we can take his barking.
What’s one thing you’re especially grateful for right now?
I'm grateful every day for the talented professionals who make up the ODU Libraries team. We've had a very successful year together, accomplishing a great deal and adding more than a half dozen new librarians and staff who will help us keep moving forward. They truly make every day worthwhile.
Do you have any nontraditional Thanksgiving rituals — travel, volunteering, alternative menus, football marathons, etc.?
Not all that unusual, but we usually head out to the movies after dinner is done and the kitchen is cleaned up. Hollywood likes to drop some of their big movies on Thanksgiving, so there's usually something to see.
