The Organization of Black Students (OBS) held a vigil on December 4 to mourn the death of UChicago Dining employee Keith Butler. Butler passed away unexpectedly on November 19, according to an obituary published online. He was 46 years old.
Dozens of students gathered in the main lounge of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics & Culture to honor Butler. Leaders of OBS read from the obituary and led a prayer before several attendees shared fond memories from Bartlett Dining Commons, where Butler worked as a cook.
“Keith was more than a familiar face,” leaders of OBS said in a statement read aloud at the start of the vigil. “Keith believed in the power of community and the importance of empowering Black students.”
“I loved Keith. Keith was lit,” said one student, who often studied in Bartlett during her first year.
For many, Butler was a Bartlett fixture.
“He knew how to make students feel welcome,” the student added. “He kind of realized a lot of us come here mad uncomfortable, mad feeling out of place.”
The pasta he cooked, one of her favorite meals, was reliably tasty, she added. “Immediately, when I saw him, I would put down the plate of whatever else I got” and go over to him at the pasta station. “For Keith, that was not just a job. There was some love in there.”
Butler developed an interest in catering and cooking while working at his family’s soul food restaurant in the early 2000s, according to a UChicago Dining Instagram post advertising a station takeover last year. He also previously managed his own catering business called Soul Black Italian.
He began working at the University as a utility worker in 2017 and, “[w]ith the encouragement of his family,” later became a cook, the Instagram post says.
Another student at the vigil remembered that Butler spotted her in a corner of Bartlett, upset, after she had taken a difficult calculus exam, and he brought her a slice of pizza.
“He took the time to leave the station and go all the way over there,” she said. “And that’s something I’m never going to forget, just him seeing me, and him seeing us,” she said, referring to the wider Black student community.
Some students also commented on the surprise they felt upon hearing of his death. One student said she had seen him outside Barlett just before Thanksgiving break.
Butler often checked in with students about how their academics were going and offered words of encouragement, they said.
Several students reiterated the importance of the role that University staff play in the campus community.
“Keith is not the only one,” a fourth-year said, reflecting on Butler’s legacy. “There are so many dining hall workers that have made such a big, big impact on so many of the students’ lives here, especially the Black students.”
Another student said she looked forward to seeing Butler every day at Barlett. He was “full of light” and made people feel seen, she said.
“Clearly, he had that effect on a lot of people,” she said. “I went to Bartlett the other day, and it was not the same.”
The Theta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity provided drinks for the event, and Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services, UChicago’s campus food service provider, catered food in Butler’s honor, OBS said in the statement read at the vigil.
The University did not publicly acknowledge Butler’s death to the University community or contribute to funding or organizing the event, OBS said in its statement.
“When a Chartwells Higher Education team member passes away, Chartwells works directly with the individual’s family to provide support and resources,” a University spokesperson said in response to questions about its lack of involvement in the vigil and its policies regarding the death of a staff member.
“Keith Butler was a valued member of the Bartlett Dining Commons team and a respected presence in our community. He was deeply appreciated by both staff and students and will be greatly missed,” the spokesperson said. “UChicago Dining Executive Director Christopher Toote spoke about Keith’s contributions to the UChicago community during his funeral.”
Editor’s note, 6:29 p.m. December 28: This article has been updated to clarify that the Theta chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity provided drinks for, but did not help organize, the vigil.
