Bob Sullivan and son Kevin (‘18) give new meaning to ‘take your child to work day’

Recently, Bob Sullivan, Yale Hospitality, and his son Kevin, Yale class of 2018, grabbed a quick breakfast in Morse College where Kevin has lived for the last four years. Meeting each other in the Morse College Dining Hall has not been all that unusual given the fact that Bob is director of Yale Dining Operations at the university.

Kevin says the “biggest surprise” freshman year was, “how little we actually saw each other. So, I was able to form my own space, find my college family, so to speak, while still enjoying the benefits of having dad and my mom close by in North Branford.”

“Sometimes,” says Bob, “when we go to get our haircut together, Kevin will decide it’s a good time to come home to eat his mom’s food, sleep in his bed, and hang out on the couch with the dog.”

“And when we get in the house,” Kevin adds, “Dad has me walk up the stairs first so my mom thinks it’s him, and when she sees me, she’s totally surprised and I always get a big greeting. Mom has definitely been an emotional bedrock while I’ve been here. It’s nice to have such tremendous support from my family.”  

Kevin graduates from Yale on Monday, May 21, with a degree in History, and will have not only his mom, dad, and two siblings, Maggie and Connor, in attendance, but also extended family—his dad is one of eight siblings and his mom is one of four. “We’re joking that I’ll have to reserve a section of the Morse courtyard for them all,” says Kevin. “There’s a lot to celebrate, for sure, and I’m really grateful to have had this experience, but it’s also bittersweet because it’s the last time I’ll see some of the great people I’ve gotten to know.”

Eating in Morse dining hall with some of these friends has been a memorable part of Kevin’s four years. “I couldn’t even begin to count the number of hours we’ve spent together eating and laughing”, he says, “and I always know when they say, ‘oh- look who’s here’ that it’s my dad making his way to our table for a quick hello and hugs all around.”

“Having Kevin here at this amazing place called Yale,” says Bob, “means that we’ve been blessed with an additional four years with him. And that’s been a wonderful experience to share with my son.”
 

Photos by Rob DeSanto, Internal Communications