He’s always smiling, friendly and making an excellent recommendation. Whether he compliments the clothes you’re wearing or your choice of sandwich, he’s bound to make you feel good inside.
He’s quite possibly the nicest man to walk the Virginia Tech campus, and his name is George Bell, the famous friendly employee of Au Boin Pain.
“Smile on your face! That’s a lovely picture of you ma’am,” Bell said as he rang up a customer at his register.
This phrase, along with many others, is what truly distinguishes Bell as the gracious fellow he is. “Well, I wouldn’t say it unless it was true. I do like to compliment people on the nice things about them, whether it’s their earrings or their hair or whatever,” Bell said.
He works five days a week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and enjoys every minute of it. He even admits he’s a morning person and loves waking up and going to work. “I enjoy it because I’m dealing with a younger environment. The kids are very vibrant and enthusiastic. I get to ask them a lot of questions and they don’t mind answering them and it’s just fun to interact with them,” Bell said.
“I love the staff, the people are very friendly. My superiors are very helpful and they’re very encouraging, good people to work for, which is nice,” he said.
While Bell does spend time working at the register he prefers merchandising so he can interact with customers. “My favorite part about working is interacting with the customers and helping them make decisions on what to purchase,” Bell said.
Admittedly saying he had a weakness for rosemary focaccia, Bell will cater to the customers needs and suggest things he thinks might appeal to their personal taste buds.
“People that have never been to ABP, that are new on campus like families visiting, I enjoy letting them try soups and making recommendations for sandwiches, that kind of stuff,” he said.
Growing up, Bell was an all-American athlete. He attended Wake Forest University, earning an undergraduate degree in philosophy and his masters in sports medicine. He then came to Tech where he received his doctorate in sports medicine and was immediately hired by the department after completing his schooling.
Bell became an assistant professor and the aquatics director, creating Tech’s first cardiac swimming program. He then decided to give teaching a break and bought his own aviation business. In 1992 he decided to run for Congress. Shortly after that, his life was changed forever.
“I ran Blacksburg Aviation, then I quit that in ’92 and decided to run for the United States Congress and that’s when I was involved in an automobile accident. It was not my fault, and I suffered a traumatic brain injury. As a result of that, I lost my memory and I am disabled on my left side,” Bell said.
Bell is married and has two children. His daughter received her undergraduate degree at Duke University and now is at grad school in Richmond. His son currently attends Tech.
If he wasn’t spending time working at ABP, Bell said he’d like to fly airplanes once again. “Probably if I went back in my past I’d like to fly, I was a multi-engine flight instructor. The pleasure of flying cross-country I enjoyed and I would like to continue to do that,” he said.
During his free time Bell likes to relax, walk his dog and do some writing. “I like to write a lot. Creative writing, not academic anymore.”
Bell’s warm-hearted friendliness has truly made an impact on the Tech campus. His son has even made him a Facebook account, which Bell absolutely loves. His name is “George B.,” and he is always willing to accept new friends.
“I am truly flattered by some of the things that I hear the students say about me. They have all treated me with respect and I really appreciate that, and I hope they appreciate me as much as I appreciate them,” Bell said.
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