Often, when I haul myself out of bed in the morning and just barely make it to work on time and manage to make it the whole day without falling asleep at my desk, I consider that worthy of celebration.
Mrs. Melba Mebane, on the other hand, would probably politely point and laugh at me for such a pathetic showing:
A beloved Dillard's sales associate who retired after 74 years without a day off sick has revealed it was the rush hour traffic that finally proved too much.
Melba Mebane, 90, was celebrated by the entire workforce at the outlet in Tyler, Texas, when she said goodbye to them with a farewell party in June.
If you're doing the math, Mrs. Mebane started working at Dillard's in 1949. Harry Truman was still president. Hawaii and Alaska were not yet states. "I Love Lucy" was still two years away from its premiere.
And yet there was Melba — showing up to work, doing the job, putting in the effort, taking care of customers. And also apparently finding time to raise a family during her off-hours.
Heck, she worked at the location so long that she was there before it was Dillard's — she started off as an elevator operator at the Mayer & Schmidt department store before Dillard's bought it.
The woman knocked it out of the park it for three-quarters of a century. She reportedly "made her name" at the cosmetics counter after selling "every one" of a bunch of gift baskets that the other girls just couldn't move.
She'd probably still be at it, too, if it weren't for the brutal commute congestion that marks much of urban U.S. life these days:
[W]hen her former 15-minute commute reached 30 minutes she decided she had finally had enough.
As soon as I walked through the door, I put my car keys on the table, looked at my son, and said, "I'm done"," she told CNBC.
That's the note to go out on! What's more, this American legend herself was witness to the meteoric rise of another American legend:
According to [son] Terry, back in her high school days, East Texas kids would drive to Shreveport to the state fairgrounds, where Elvis would perform, just as an Army guy from Mississippi playing the guitar and singing.
"We just thought he's another hillbilly," Melba said, "but he was quite the heartthrob!"
Happy retirement, Mrs. Mebane — enjoy every minute of it!
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
