HADLEY — As a farmer, Richard Waskiewicz saw value in getting produce grown in the fields of Hadley into meals served on the University of Massachusetts campus, giving students the opportunity to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables.
“Richard’s dream was to get local produce into UMass,” says Joanne Keller, a longtime Hadley resident whose job as a cook on campus has given her a level of fame as The Omelet Lady.
Nearly 30 years after her husband died at age 51 in February 1996, Keller said it is remarkable how much locally grown produce now makes its way into the UMass dining commons. Though Keller retired from full-time work at UMass Dining 2020, she still comes in two days a week to make omelets at Hampshire Dining Commons.
Keller also continues to make annual contributions to the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund to remember her late husband, sending the donation on behalf of her grown children, Matthew, Brian and Carolyn.
“Richard loved Christmas,” Keller said. She noted that he had been the caretaker for both the Holy Rosary and St. Brigid’s cemeteries and served on the town’s Sewer Commission before his passing.
“Every year I try to give to the Toy Fund,” Keller said. “I was so fortunate the community and friends helped me so much at that time, because it was such a sudden death.”
“My philosophy is to try to do something for the kids every year,” Keller said.
Since the passing of her mother, Marylou Freund, in 2016, Keller has been honoring her, as well. Freund was a maternity nurse at Cooley Dickinson Hospital until she and her husband moved south in 1983.
“She instilled in me all the qualities of being kind to neighbors,” Keller said.
Named after a former business manager at the Gazette, the Toy Fund began in 1933 to help families in need during the Depression. Today, the fund distributes vouchers worth $65 to qualifying families for each child from age 1 to 14.
To be eligible for the Toy Fund, families must live in any Hampshire County community except Ware, or in the southern Franklin County towns of Deerfield, Sunderland, Whately, Shutesbury and Leverett, and in Holyoke in Hampden County.
The following stores are participating this year: A2Z Science and Learning Store, 57 King St., Northampton; Blue Marble/Little Blue, 150 Main St., Level 1, Northampton; High Five Books, 141 N. Main St., Florence; The Toy Box, 201 N. Pleasant St., Amherst; Comics N More, 64 Cottage St., Easthampton; Once Upon A Child,1458 Riverdale St., West Springfield; Plato’s Closet, 1472 Riverdale St., West Springfield; Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, 227 Russell St., Hadley; Odyssey Bookshop, 9 College St., Village Commons, South Hadley; The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 W. Bay Road, Amherst; Holyoke Sporting Goods Co., and 1584 Dwight St. No. 1, Holyoke.
“I know a lot of people are in need this year, and hopefully people are kind enough,” Keller said. “I live in a special community where everyone helps each other.”
Keller previously ran the town’s Park and Recreation Department and she appreciates that some of the traditions continue, including with a fire truck escorting Santa Claus into many of the town’s neighborhoods, and a gathering where children can meet Santa, Mrs. Claus and the elves. For many years, Keller played Mrs. Claus.
For Keller, who has worked at UMass since beginning as a line cook in 2007, the twice weekly work allows her to continue interacting with students.
“This is the perfect retirement job,” Keller said. She is also called upon to work at some special events, like the annual Community Breakfast, and has also been the cook for the football team.
For the omelets, there are 10 toppings that can be selected, and Keller has a line of five burners to make them custom. She estimates she has made over 500,000 omelets in the past 14 years, and has assisted many students who have worked alongside her.
Keller is also regular at many sporting events on campus. “I like to go to the games to support the kids,” she said.
Such will be the case with members of the swim and dive team, who will be back on campus before the new year. Last year Keller was an honorary coach for those student athletes and she will again be offering them support.
In September, she was part of the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony, receiving the John Francis Kennedy Maroon Leadership Award, recognizing her advocacy for student athletes.
“I’ve been like their mother, though now I’m saying it’s more like I’m their grandmother,” Keller said, observing that her youngest grandson was born three months ago.
“Everyone’s very kind to me at UMass,” Keller said. “This keeps me young.”