The University of Idaho Argonaut

She handles, oversees and performs multiple duties within the department, and she also helps students with advising needs, even if they aren’t heading for an English degree.

“English majors refer to her as ‘our angel,’” said senior Julie Davaz, an undergraduate in the department.
If a student needs help getting into a class, for instance, Davaz said Hatheway will get requirements waived, communicate appropriate contact information or anything else the student needs.

All of Hatheway’s children are grown, and she regards the people in the English department as her new family, Davaz said. She genuinely cares for people, she said, and she has face-to-face recognition with many who pass through her office. Davaz said Hatheway tries to keep the office comfortable, and frequently adorns her desk with decorations and sweets on holidays. It’s hard, to leave the office during Halloween or Valentine’s Day without Hatheway getting a piece of candy to go out with you.

“If I had to choose one word to describe her, she’s generous,” said Jeff Jones, an English department lecturer.
According to Jones, she’s not only the go-to person when questions and problems arise, but she’s also the friendly face of the department, giving off a sense of warmth for the unfamiliar faces. He said he hasn’t ever seen her without a positive attitude: When she broke her wrist nearly a year ago, said Jones, she came to the office with the cast and continued to work and laugh as usual. Hatheway welcomes him for conversation, he said, whenever he’s dealing with personal issues, and he said some students have taken to her as a mother figure. Jones said he looks forward to seeing her each day.

“She greases the wheels of your day with a smile,” he said.
Prior to working at UI, Hatheway spent almost nine years involved with child protection under the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The branch was focused on giving aid, such as provision of foster care, to children from abusive homes and other dangerous environments.

When she came to the university, Hatheway said, she saw the students differently from the children she used to work with: these were already successful, she said, for having arrived at college, and she viewed everyone as having a chance at a good life. The students, said Hatheway, have since become her passion; she believes they are the future, she said, and she enjoys watching them grow throughout their education.

“Their success makes me as happy as they are,” Hatheway said.