AMELIE SEDLACK / FEATURE EDITOR

Oscar Mingo, most recently the mid-day greeter at the Student Life Pavilion (SLP), was a beloved part of the USD community since 1990. Oscar, proudly originating from New Orleans, started at USD as a part-time line cook when USD’s main dining location was still in the UCs. For the past couple years, he has been a greeter at the SLP, usually at lunch time, greeting students with a smile as they come in for food. 

USD sophomore River Abenroth shared the positive impact he felt at seeing Oscar at the SLP. 

“It was always really good to see him,” Abenroth said. “Coming in, he was always bright and had a smile on. He just made eating at the SLP a little better. He will be missed.”

For many students, he was a friendly face at the start of lunch. Many of the employees of USD Dining knew him personally and had many good things to say about him. 

Rafael Hernandez, a line cook often found at the pasta station, knew Oscar for two years. Hernandez shared his memories of Oscar, who always had a smile on to cheer others up. 

“I remember working here and he was always really smiley, and he always greeted everybody,” Hernandez shared. “He would always say ‘hi’ in the morning and then when I started, I was working [farther away from the SLP entrance]. When I moved to this station, that’s when he would go, ‘Hey what are you cooking?’ Every day he would go ‘ Oh my God that looks good.’ He was a very sweet guy. He had a saying. If it was a busy day and we would sort of start to lose morale, he would come around and say ‘We’re making it,’ and that was like his slogan. It was really cool to have him.”

USD’s Director of Marketing, Auxiliary Services and Director of Licensing Loryn Johnson, shared her thoughts about Oscar’s impact on the USD community in an email with The USD Vista. 

“He welcomed decades of Toreros — always with a smile and kind words,” Johnson wrote. “He will be greatly missed by the USD Dining team.” 

USD senior Fiona Smith also remembered seeing Oscar in the dining hall often. 

“I always just remember him being a really happy face to greet people,” Smith said. “He was always really excited to greet people.”

Hernandez shared the one thing that he wanted everyone to know about Oscar. 

“He’s very sweet,” Hernandez said. “He was very bright, like bright energy. A beacon of light … I think out of all the people that I worked with, he was very easy going. He had very calming energy, like a very chill person. A very sweet guy. Even for the brief time that I met him, he made an impression on me. He was a very  sweet person. If anything, I would like people to know that he was a very kind, sweet person.” 

USD senior Ruby Stinson remembers Oscar as he kept her company while waiting in the lines in SLP. 

“He was such a friendly face, always greeting people,” Stinson said. “Last year I would always get the Mediterranean station and he would chat with me in line.”

Oscar always brought light and happiness, not only to students  having a stressful week, but also to the chefs, working to make it through the rush. Even though many students may not have learned his name, his smile left a mark on many who came through the SLP doors. As noted by many, Oscar Mingo impacted many and will be greatly missed. 

Mingo’s family and friends are hosting a celebration of the life of Oscar, known to his family as Bill. This will be a time to share their stories of Oscar and the impact he left on them. This event will be hosted on Nov. 1 at 2885 Lemon Grove Ave. from 2 — 6 p.m.

When Oscar started at USD, he worked as a line chef in the main dining area. Photo courtesy of Mingo’s family