Time to sit? No way: Nonagenarian embodies employer's vision
June 04, 2008
Original Article: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/04/time-to-sit-no-way/
At 90, Cotis Clements is long past the age when most people quit working and enjoy retirement.
But five days a week, Clements climbs into his 1993 Dodge truck and drives to work.
He's a janitor for ServiceMaster Building Maintenance, and from 5 to
7p.m. Monday through Friday, he cleans First Tennessee Bank in
Millington.
"It's just something to do. I love working," said Clements, who was born in Mississippi on Dec. 20, 1917.
For more than three decades, Clements drove a truck for a living.
When he retired from truck driving in 1979, he became a janitor to
occupy his time.
"I need something to do," Clements said. "If you sit down, you go down."
Even though Clements has been with ServiceMaster for only nine
years, he has been a janitor at First Tennessee for more than 30 years.
He is such a staple at the bank that employees start calling around to
make sure he's OK when he doesn't come in to work.
"It makes me feel good when they call looking for me," Clements
said. "I guess they know I'm here all the time, so if I miss, I'm
probably sick."
In addition to cleaning, mopping and dusting, Clements also escorts female employees to their cars at night from time to time.
"If they ask me to, I will," he said. "Safety precaution. They might
be worried. Well, I guess there's so many ill people out there."
Clements said his wife, Ethel, wants him to quit his job.
But Chris McCall, CEO and president of ServiceMaster Building
Maintenance, said he hopes Clements won't leave anytime soon, calling
him "a very important asset" to the company.
"He demonstrates the attitude that he is part of that bank," McCall
said. "He views them as part of his family. That's what we try to work
for with our customers and employees. That's what we try to instill in
our workers. He shows the vision we have."
-- Nikki Bussey: 529-2609
Cotis Clements
Age: 90
Profession: Janitor
Hometown: Water Valley, Miss.
Personal: Married with seven children, 25 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren
Hobby: Gardening. "I like to grow my own vegetables. I can live out
of that garden. It means you don't have to go to the grocery store."
Life motto: "Live life and do things right."
Back