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Just as the sun is rising over the University, Marilyn Hamman warms each new day for students and staff with an easy smile, welcoming them aboard the bus she pilots.

Hamman joined the University’s shuttle service more than 15 years ago after being introduced to the opportunity by a friend.

Fred Smith, director of the shuttle service, remembers her interview fondly.

“When she interviewed for the job, we knew she was something special,” Smith said.

Hamman had been a bus driver in the Elmwood school system for 26 years before being hired by the University.

For three years, she has covered the south off-campus route, a path which was recently expanded to accommodate new housing development.

In spite of changes to the University and surrounding community, Hamman says the thing she most enjoys about her work has remained the same throughout the years.

“The people have always been polite,” Hamman says.

That politeness has not always applied to those not aboard her shuttle. Hamman once witnessed a student wearing only a t-shirt running on Wooster Street ahead of the 2-Ride Service van she was operating during winter. Following University policy, she radioed campus police to inform them of the incident. When the dispatcher requested to know the gender of the barely-clothed pedestrian, Hamman answered honestly.

“I told them it was too cold to tell,” Hamman said.

Due in part to the unique experiences she has had since joining the shuttle team, Hamman has become more than just a driver to the students she sees every day.

While she may not know everyone by name, she has developed a unique relationship with each of the familiar faces along her route.

“You see some people every day, and you get an idea in your mind of who they are,” Hamman said.

University students who frequently find themselves behind Hamman’s yellow line have come to appreciate her manner.

“She’s very kind,” said freshman Naimo Njoroge, who rides Hamman’s shuttle every morning.

Among her coworkers, Hamman is well known for her straightforward nature, a trait which has earned her a unique nickname.

“Around the office we call her ‘mom’,” Smith said.

This is a familiar label for Hamman, who most enjoys spending her time away from the University attending ball games and other events with her grandchildren.