After students finish a meal at Sewell Dining Hall, they take their dishes to a window, where someone they've never met scrubs it with soap and hot water.
Many students don't give the people who make their dining experience possible a second glance.
Isiah Thomas was one of the people on the other side of the window.
While walking on campus after work Aug. 16, Thomas, 66, had a heart attack and later died at East Alabama Medical Center.
Thomas worked in Sewell Dining Hall for 43 years.
Affectionately nicknamed "Buddy Ball" by friends, family and coworkers, Isiah was loved by those who knew him, said Isiah's brother Silas Thomas, an employee of Auburn Housing and Residence Life.
"He was a very caring person," Silas said. "He'd be willing to help anyone."
Silas said his brother was a responsible man who knew when to have fun and when to be serious.
"He always said, 'When it comes down to business, you don't joke around--you be business-like,'" Silas said.
Isiah cherished time with his three adult children.
"He would always take his kids to McDonald's (when they were little)," Henderson said. "I don't care what time of night it was, whether they wanted a hamburger or whatever, he would always go and get them whatever they wanted. That was his favorite spot."
Isiah also enjoyed watching WWE's "Monday Night RAW," eating vanilla wafers and traveling, Silas said.
Bernice Henderson, who worked with Isiah for more than 20 years, said everyone knew he always wore sunglasses.
"All the years I knew him, he always wore his shades--inside, rain, shine, sleet or snow," Henderson said.
Co-workers at Sewell Hall said Isiah was a pleasure to work with.
"Isiah was that rare person you meet in your life that you'll never forget," said Iris Cannon, one of Isiah's supervisors at Sewell Hall. "That's just the way he touched people."
Isiah was never late to work, even though he didn't have a car, said Margie Brundidge, another of Isiah's supervisors at Sewell Dining Hall.
Unlike many people, Isiah seldom complained and always smiled.
"When he'd come in, we'd always say, 'that's the main man,'" Cannon said. "He greeted everybody with a smile."
Brundidge said when Isiah arrived at work and the dishes were stacked higher than he was tall, he still never complained.
"And about an hour after he got to work, every one of those dishes were clean," Brundidge said.
Not only was Isiah a dedicated worker, but he was also a faithful friend.
"When I was out for my surgery, he called me, and he stopped by," Cannon said.
Every Christmas, Isiah generously shared what he had with his co-workers.
"Every year at Christmastime he gave us money," Brundidge said. "I worked with him for nine years, and he always gave us money."
Isiah's death has shaken employees of Sewell Dining Hall.
"I don't know about everybody at Sewell, but I can speak for me," Brundidge said. "He will be missed."
Brundidge and Cannon agreed Isiah set a good example for his children, friends and co-workers.
"If everybody lived their life like he did, the world would be a better place to stay in," Brundidge said.
Although Isiah's life was cut short, Cannon said he has lived a fulfilling life.
"He'd tell you the right way to live," Cannon said. "He'd tell you, 'life's short.'"
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