Mary Crowson recently celebrated her 30 year anniversary working for Great Southern Bank in Quitman.
Originally, working at a bank was just a summer job, but she came to enjoy it and ended up deciding to continue working at a bank.
“When I was in college, majoring in music, I worked the summers at BankPlus, which was Southeast then. That’s how I got into it,” explained Mary. “My sister worked for many years at Southeast, and I just worked for the summers for summer help. After I got out of college, there wasn’t anything open at that time dealing with what I went to college for, so I applied at Great Southern. The rest became history.”
She started out as a teller and later moved to working as a customer service representative. After 30 years, the main changes she can see all involve technology.
“A lot of things have gone electronically over the years,” expressed Mary. “We still seem to have a lot of paperwork, but now we have electronic banking with mobile depositing, and everything is online.”
Her favorite thing about her job has always been working with the people in the community and working with her coworkers.
“I believe that God teaches us through others. I have learned a lot through the character of my coworkers, bosses, and customers over the years,” declared Mary. “I’ve seen compassion, grace, and gratitude, among many other qualities. It is not uncommon today to see children hurrying in the bank to tell Ms. Cooks about the good grade they made because she’s been encouraging them or Ms. Sheila coming out just to see how customers are doing and let them know she’s glad to see them. It’s not uncommon to see another gift on Ms. Jennifer’s desk from a customer thanking her for all the time and help she has given them, not to mention all the help she’s given me. Ms. Rose is always laughing and has an endless supply of candy for kids and adult kids. Mr. David sometimes brings lunch for everyone because he knows it will be a very busy day. Ms. Kisha is the only person people want at the drive thru. Ms. Kristen is just as smart and helpful as her mom. Ms. Mona Lisa has a smile for everyone. Ms. Delois greets me every morning with her spunky and sweet self.”
She values the relationships and memories she has made over the years with her coworkers.
“My favorite memories include every bank Christmas party. Lisa Dearman and Cathy Kennedy always made it fun and memorable. There are always hilarious moments and tender moments,” Mary reminisced. “An extremely difficult but cherished memory was how my bank family took care of me the day I lost my sister. They made sure to answer all calls until my husband arrived so that I wouldn’t have to hear it somewhere else. They gathered around me and loved me through that time. There have been many other times they have been an encouragement, and I am thankful and blessed to work with them.”
Naturally, she has also made a huge impact on the community and her coworkers since she has been there. Her work family had the following things to say about Mary:
Senior Vice President David Monsour stated, “Mary is a very dedicated employee, always putting the best interests of our customers first. She is one of the nicest people you have ever met, and we are fortunate to have her here at Great Southern Bank.”
Jennifer Hiatt said, “Mary is one of the sweetest co-workers I have ever had the pleasure to work with. She is always willing to lend a helping hand.”
Yalandia Cooks declared, “Mary Crowson, I truly admire the dedication and hard work you have made here at GSB; also, you are such a wonderful team player who goes above and beyond helping the customers.”
Sheila Carroll stated, “Congrats to Mary Beth for 30 years at Great Southern Bank! It is a pleasure to work with Mary Beth every day! She always has a smile on her face, and her work ethic is out of this world!”
Lakisha Evans proclaimed, “There are a couple of things that describe Mary Beth. One, she is a God-fearing Woman of God. She is the kindest and sweetest person I have ever met. She means a lot to us as group—no, as family.”
Congratulations on 30 years at Great Southern Bank!
