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| Vol. 18, No. 39 | Aug. 26, 1999 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 39 | Aug. 26, 1999 |
Elsmere native Mary Ann McLane, medical technology, said she vividly remembers the uniform she wore 32 years ago as a drugstore waitress-her most memorable summer job.
"Oh, it was horrible," she recalled recently. "The dress was made of that awful, awful polyester material that was almost water-resistant. I also wore an apron and a little half-cap."
Nevertheless, her job in a now-defunct Thrift Drug store proved worthwhile, McLane said.
"It showed me that I was able to do eight things at once, and it allowed me to uncover a natural bent toward service, which is part of my personality," she explained. "I enjoy making people smile, and that summer I learned that we all have within us the power to brighten someone else's day."
Her zeal to keep customers happy may have gone overboard the day she dropped a fried egg on the floor.
"I can't remember whether it was the last egg in the kitchen, or if I was just too busy to cook another one," said McLane, whose concern for quality patient care this year earned her Advance magazine's Laboratorian of the Year award. "For whatever reason, I picked it up, cooked it a bit longer to kill off whatever had gotten on it, and then served it."
McLane applied for the job based on the recommendation of a friend who had worked at the drugstore, then in the Prices Corner Shopping Center. "I needed extra money before going off to Neumann College," she said, "and my friend put in a good word for me."
In 1967, the store included a full dining room, a soda fountain area and a full kitchen. "I started out waiting tables," she said. "But, at the end, I could take an order in the dining room, cook the meal, manage the front counter, run the cash register, bus tables and do the dishes!"
McLane said she has been known to brag about her "hidden talent"-an ability to carry six soda glasses at the same time. Because it required time-management skills, she said, the job gave her confidence, and "the tips were great." More importantly, McLane said she still has fond memories of some of her customers, like the elderly gentleman who ordered soup and coffee every day around 3 p.m.
Ginger Pinholster
Photo by Jack Buxbaum
