ALUMNI NEWS
"Be
Good Do Right "
An alumnus' journey to America
“Ching!” The door swings open, a cold gust of wind rushing in as it closes behind each Daylight Donuts customer on a colder-than-normal November morning. It’s 7:50 a.m., and the room ahead is buzzing with the white noise of each table immersed in their own, now caffeinated, conversations. Robert “Bob” Tran Quoc, Waldorf Class of 1991, is seated at the table closest to a display case filled with fresh pastries decorated in sprinkles and various glazes. Two of his granddaughters are with him, their winter coats scrunched up around them as they sit, each one appropriately starting the day off with a doughnut of choice. A look of contentment on his face and a Styrofoam cup of coffee boasting “Daylight Donuts” in
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WALDORF MAGAZINE // SPRING 2020
hand as he sits back and watches the morning unfold before him. As most everyone walking in is just starting their Wednesday morning, Bob is on the downhill slope of his day. He has been there since 11 p.m. the night before, filling the space with aromas of doughnuts of all shapes, sizes and fillings, and fresh pots of coffee as the brisk smell of winter makes its way into the last days of fall. “Well, Bob!” “Good Morning!” he turns to greet each customer, most of them by name, with a warm smile. By 8:05 a.m., the place is as empty as it was packed only minutes prior, as employees and students have moved on from breakfast to
start their day. The sudden quiet interrupted only by the ringing of the door from the occasional stragglers coming in to grab a cup of coffee along with a box of “I’m sorry I’m late” doughnuts for their coworkers. After introducing myself and interrupting his trance, Bob encourages me to find a seat anywhere I’d like while he drives his granddaughters to school. Before he leaves, he hands me a steaming cup of black coffee and a 26-page essay he had written for a class during his time at Wartburg College, each piece of text intricately outlining the details and memories of a journey very few could relate to. “I got an A on this paper,” he says with a twinkle in his eye and, what I would learn, is his signature boyish grin.
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