Remembering Peter Clinton’s ‘service and smile’

Put Peter Clinton at a cash register and it was like he was a different person.

The shy Durham resident just wanted to make people’s days better as they stopped by for a snack or meal, said his brother Jim Clinton.

Peter Clinton, 57, died this week. For 13 years, he worked at nearly every snack shop on campus, including the Blue Ram under the Campus Y.

“He was there to serve you and give you a smile. He changed when he was in that role,” said Jim Clinton, who is also the director of UNC’s One Card Office.

“He’s gotten to know pockets of people, especially at the Law School and Dental School, and over at the Blue Ram (he met) all the administrative folks.”

Peter Clinton lived part of his life with Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the intestines.

He died after contracting pneumonia.

A Houston native, Peter Clinton worked in a variety of food service roles before moving to Durham and beginning to work at UNC’s Pit Stop.

Once in North Carolina, he quickly became a UNC football and basketball fan. He enjoyed going to Durham Bulls games and the occasional concert.

And he also loved his job.

“He was really dedicated, and for someone who had Crohn’s, he had every reason to be out of work,” said Steven Graham, who works at Carolina Dining Services and hired Peter Clinton.

Instead, Peter Clinton came to work everyday an hour early with a bag of Bojangles, Graham said.

“That was the one thing I could count on,” he said.

Peter Clinton had a sneaky sense of humor that he would sometimes share with customers by making a joke under his breath, said Julia Nichols, the student services manager for Academic Advising.

Nichols, like many Blue Ram customers, is a regular and familiar with Peter Clinton’s service and smile. She came to the Blue Ram every day and knew him for 10 years.

“You could come over here and not have a good morning, and he would always make you feel better,” Nichols said.

Nichols said when Peter Clinton worked at UNC snack vendors other than the Blue Ram, customers such as herself would notice his absence.

“People were like, ‘Where’d Pete go?’ He did have a lot of fans and, when he started working over here, a lot of people were very happy to see him,” she said.

Peter Clinton never married or had kids — he was saving himself for the perfect woman, his brother said.

He’ll leave his legacy on campus instead.

In the Blue Ram, there’s a small photograph and message dedicated to the longtime employee, right by the register where he used to work.

Jim Clinton said his brother’s legacy would be the relationships he formed with members of the community, including students, staff and visitors.

“They’re going to miss a good, sweet man who had that smile that was kind of infectious. He wouldn’t harm a bug. He was a kind and gentle soul,” he said.“I’ll miss that, too.”

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