loved it. From waitress to maitre d'hotel, and now as dining room captain, she hasn't regretted one moment of the many years she has devoted to the South Shore resort. "It doesn't seem like that long to me because I've enjoyed every minute of it,'' she explained. "I am very excited to have worked at the Reefs for that number of years.'' Miss Bean said she began at the Southampton property in 1952, just a few years after it had opened, and immediately began honing her skills in the dining room area. "I started as a waitress and worked as a waitress until 1973 at which time I was promoted to maitre d'hotel,'' she said. "They didn't have captains in those days and so I worked in that position from 1973 through 1986 -- for 13 years. At that point however, the Reefs started to expand and it got very busy. The job became too hectic for me and, by choice, I stepped down and David Lambert was brought in to take over as the maitre d'hotel while I assisted him.'' Miss Bean said she stayed in her new post from 1986 to 1992 but found that also to be very demanding and asked to be transferred to a position with less responsibilities. "When I first went to work at the Reefs, the dining room seated between 35 and 40 people and if we had to serve to capacity, we would call it a busy night. (With the expansion of the dining room), it's now at 140. I've seen it grow that much. And so I asked to step down again and was made a captain of the dining room, which I still am,'' she said. "As maitre d'hotel, I had full responsibility of the dining room and as captain, I have less responsibilities. I take food orders from guests and control only a certain section of the dining room.'' Even at her most stressful periods, however, the devoted employee said she loved her job. "It's like a family affair, more or less, working at the Reefs. There's a very relaxed atmosphere that makes it comfortable to work and makes you enjoy working there. Also I think we're treated very well by management which makes it easy to work there.

That's why most people who come to work there tend to stay -- because of the relaxed atmosphere and because it's like a big family.'' The relationships she has established with many of the repeat guests over the years she has worked at the property is something she also enjoys. "We get to know a lot of guests by name because some come two or three times a year. In fact, there's a particular couple which has been to the Reefs over 100 times. I often say that when I first went there to work I was 19 and served guests on their honeymoon and now, some of those guests are sending their kids there on honeymoon. I've served families that would bring their kids and I've seen these kids grow up and come and stay on their honeymoon and with their own families. "Another thing I like is that because we have a lot of repeat guests, we get to know them very well and they get to know us. In fact, we've gotten to know some of them so well that we know their birthdays and anniversaries and we've gotten together many times as a staff and given them a Bermuda souvenir and many of them have done that for us also. It's things like that that make you want to work at the Reefs. And to me, it's a part of my life. I just enjoy working there.'' PHOTO Dining room captain, Sylvia Bean