JEFF DRYE

Jeff: Well I consider myself one of the luckiest guys at Furman, because I think I have a great job. Not everybody could say that. I’m the supervisor of building and grounds. The grounds themselves are right at 10 acres. We have 3.7 acres in grass, 100,000 gallon pool, 200 rose rose garden, and a perennial garden identical to the rose garden. The neat thing about White Oaks is the way it was built. If you stand at the center of this house and do a 360, it’s totally symmetrical, to the inch. You can see it from the widow walk. That garden is symmetrical to that garden, measured out perfectly. The trees, the way they frame the house out. They frame the house perfectly. This house was way ahead of its time.

Every day is different. That’s why I love my job. A typical day would be: get all my flowers watered, get everything blowed, because you never know who is going to come by or show up.

            I just love this place. I really do. It’s everything to me. I came here and I was in my late twenties, and I give it all I have. I give it everything. I leave nothing on the table.

            You want to keep it [the house] as original as possible. Some of these things just can’t be duplicated. You always want to keep Mrs. Daniels in mind- everything I do I think “What would Mrs. Daniel’s do?”

 

Anne: Did you know Mrs. Daniels?

 

Jeff: I met her three times. She used to ride around campus in her limousine, and she’d stop and talk to you. That was just her normal thing, she loved doing that. She was such a nice person.

            When I first came here the pool was green. It was green and had huge bullfrogs in it. The first thing we had to do was put a filtration system in- it had no filtration system at all. So every time Mrs. Daniels would have a party, they would drain the pool, and fill it up with fresh water. Which would make the neighbors mad because it took the water pressure away from the neighbors.  

            We’re so lucky to have the Davis Family. They are great people. They understand what Furman is, they understand what this place is, what it’s suppose to do, what its here for. Its only been a little over a year, but I can already see its going to be a long tenure. People don’t understand as much as I do, because I see the inside and actually become part of these families.

            That one year I learned how to hand make decorations and since then I’ve improved upon it and made my own touches. It’s all Williamsburg style. I make window treatments, kissing balls, you name it I make it. It’s a wonderful time of year and it smells so good and fresh. We have a 13-foot Christmas tree that we put up in the foyer. Then for the family I always do a tree for them so they can decorate it and have their own personal Christmas. Its pretty amazing- it really is.

 

Anne: So what’s your favorite thing you’ve done for Christmas decorations?

 

Jeff: Probably my pyramid that goes over the front door. It’s made entirely of fruit, apples oranges pineapple lemons pomegranate, magnolia leaves.

 

Anne: To a local Greenvillian, why would you say that White Oaks matters?

 

Jeff: It matters because it’s a treasure. People every day say “this place is unbelievable, I did not know it was here!” a contractor said that to me just today- and it reminds me what I am a part of- and sometimes I need to be reminded of that. Mrs. Daniels, she knew what she was doing when she left this place to Furman. Furman was the only place that could have brought this place back to where it’s at.

            I know that I give it all to the place. I know Mrs. Daniels would be proud of me. And I’ll stand up for this place. I’ll stand up for Furman, I will. They’ll listen to me. I just hope that one day when leave here that somebody could have the love I have for this place. Because it’s a jewel for Furman, it really is.