by Shelley Bennett
Over the weekend, Jeremy posted some colorized photos of iconic buildings on Susanville’s Main Street. After hearing everyone’s memories about the original Bank of America, I wanted to share a few of mine.
Before I transferred to UNR, I spent almost a year working at branch 803. We were located in the newer, modern building on the corner of Gay and Union. It was very spacious with at least 10 teller (a.k.a. customer service representatives) spots, a separate room for business dealings, and a multitude of desks for our higher ups.
Shirley Martin hired me and I loved working for her from the very first day. She had always been the mom of my lifelong friend, Mike, but it was a totally different experience inside the bank.
Shirley was kind but stern, funny but professional, and she had us tellers whipped into shape. I quickly learned the ropes, including a very strict dress code (nylons or at least socks with closed toe shoes every day, no jeans) and very strange schedule (light, medium, and heavy).
I found out that the bank crew would do anything for a jeans day. Anything. Like stay after work for several days decorating the entire branch for fair so that we could dress casual during Fair Week.
Rhonda Fuller would usually head up that committee and spent hours figuring out how we could transform our giant office space into something related to the fair theme. Our manager Judy D’Angelo would buy pizza and president Jim Lewis would go along with whatever he was told.
Most of you know that party planning, including decorating, is my love language so I knew I was in the right spot!
I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor than Vickie Griffith. She trained me on the computer program and how to keep my drawer organized and balanced. Most importantly, Vickie taught me about all the quirks of our regular customers.
So, I knew that a certain auto dealer would want his balance written on a piece of cardboard he kept in his bank bag. And that most elderly customers (including my grandpa) would not want me to check their ID or be told to try the Versatel machine to get their weekly $100.
Everyone was so welcoming that I felt like part of the BofA family right away.
The ladies on the line were helpful and competent. Vera Royce was my go-to when I had any questions about transactions. And I was lucky enough to have my cash can right next to Vickie’s.
I loved the intensity of the bank on the 1st and 15th of the month. There would be a line to the door and all of us working as fast as we could. Tro Emerson, Christine Pettengill, and Janie Martinez would usually be with me until close and we had the best times.
There was one very peculiar customer who would come in once or twice a week to get her spending money. Whoever saw her car pull up first, would instantly decide it was time for a break.
The rest of us had to wait on pins and needles to see who she would choose. In the beginning, I was truly terrified of her. It was rumored that she would spit on the tellers who didn’t perform up to her expectations.
Our loan and credit department were a bit mysterious. I had no clue what they did and it didn’t help that were all gorgeous, sultry types who dressed in beautiful suits and heels every day.
I soon learned that Marci Coscarelli, Loraine Weston, and Lynn Spafford were just as silly as the rest of us. They would come over from the “other side” with a new account or transaction and crack a joke or make a funny observation and it was all I could do to keep a straight face.
The business vault was also a little intimidating. Their fingers would fly while counting the deposits and change for most of Susanville’s major businesses. Rhonda, Barb Deese, Wanda Duncan, and sometimes Kathy Marino were the masters!
Nobody wanted to work on the weekends, but a few hours every Saturday with Susan Wannebo was the best. She was hilarious, in a very dry sort of way, and I cherished the life lessons she delivered on the regular.
Of course, I also loved the customers, no matter how eccentric. I grew to learn what they wanted before they even got to my counter and I had my favorites. I truly enjoyed the quick interactions and conversations and tried to make their day better with a kind word and smile.
I received the greatest compliment when Al Davie, owner of Deal and Davie, told me that I could always come down and sell cars for him if this “teaching thing” didn’t work out for me. He knew that I still dreamed of going back to school and finishing my education.
I learned so much when I worked at Bank of America. I became confident in solving complex issues and dealing with unhappy customers. I enjoyed working with all the different personalities. In many ways, it was the best teacher preparation course I ever took!
Remember when news was ‘newsy’? When you read about weddings, family events and engagement announcements in the newspaper? If you have something that might be newsworthy, please submit it to [email protected] and I’ll do my best to include it here in “The Good Stuff.”
