Friday was the last day of work for Myra Evans. She started at Citizens National Bank when she was 17 — in 1952.
She took five months off when her son was born, and a few years off to help her husband with his business, but other than that she took only took two sick days. “We just didn’t do that,” she said. “Just felt that, in those days, your job came first.”
She’s now 80. “Now I’m going to retire. That’s it.”
She said she started “at the bottom, as a filer,” and went on to bookkeeping.
Evans said they went to “banking school,” and when they turned 21 they could be a teller. She was in the loan department for a while then became a teller, which is what she has been for most of her time at the bank.
See also: Maplewood History: First in the Midwest…Drive In Banking
“There were mostly very, very good days here,” she said. “Employees were good, customers were good.”
The day Golde’s Department Store, next door, burned down, in 1966, stands out.
“It was really something,” she said. “We were back open the next day. Had everything where we wanted, lined up with lights.”
She said the vault was the only thing not touched by the fire, and they didn’t know if its contents were safe. “The next morning when everybody came in, they went to open the vault, and all the customers were there, because they didn’t know if it was going to be there, and it was perfect.”
Evans said they took checks that were wet from the fire hoses up to the roof to dry them out.
See also: Maplewood History: The Disastrous 1966 Immolation of Golde’s-Part 1
The lobby was always busy. “We had savings windows, we had bond windows. It was small but we were very busy,” she said.
“On Friday nights we had two (tellers) because we were so busy, and the little lobby of it was packed,” she said. “We had a lot of customers from Scullin Steel and a lot of places in Maplewood would cash their checks on Friday night.”
No computers back then — “We had adding machines. A lot of stuff you had to do on the adding machines — we had our totals every day — had to balance all that. Things got exciting sometimes when it didn’t balance,” she said.
Evans has worked the drive-up windows for many of the past years. Citizens Sales and Marketing Manager Christy Byrd said she parks in the back, in sight of Evans’ window, because “Myra knows everything that goes on in that parking lot.”
Evans said she “pretty much knows every one of our customers’ names, and where they live.”
“They’re really going to miss her,” Byrd said.
We wish you the best in your retirement Mrs. Evans. You were always a ray of sunshine to our days. May God bless your retirement with peace and security.
I hate to state it, because it ages me…but I have been going to Citizens Bank since the mid 60’s. My husband, Richard, was always glad to see Miss Evans at the window. Things have changed so much in the past years…we don’t go through the drive through as often as we used to. Happy Retirement Miss Evans, you will be missed.
Wow, the drive through won’t be the same. We will miss you.
I am so happy Myra has finally been able (or wanted to) to retire. I worked with Myra, on and off for many years…..from about 1974 or so to 1982…..then again 1987 to 1997. Always a pleasure to work with, and a fun lady. Good luck Myra, and have fun now doing what you want to do.
Mrs. Evans was the first teller I met when I opened my first account in 1990, back when she was in one of the individual brick teller cages out on the parking lot. Hope she enjoys her retirement — it’s well deserved!
Best of luck, Myra! We’ll miss waving to you at the drive-thru.
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