Red Bay woman named Crew Person of the Year

By Staff
Melissa Cason, Franklin County Times
RED BAY-Millions of people hear "Welcome to McDonald's" on a daily basis, but that little saying has helped keep one Red Bay woman young at heart.
Mary Spencer, 75, has been employed as a back line worker at Red Bay's McDonald's for eight years, and she shows no signs of slowing down.
And as recognition for her dedication and years of service, she was named the McDonald's Atlanta Region 2006 Crew Person of the Year award.
Spencer was among 48,000 Atlanta region employees in 728 stores in competition to receive the award. McDonald's Owner/Operator Larry Young nominated her for her service, not only to customers and McDonald's, but also to her community.
"Mary thrives on serving others," Young said. "She sets an outstanding example, and we receive a lot of compliments from our customers about her."
Young said, Spencer frequently took time to visit with people in the nursing home during her lunch breaks, and is a pleasure to be around and everyone loves to see her smiling face.
The award recipients must meet or exceed a demanding set of criteria including: an outstanding customer ranking, demonstrated leadership inside the store, active community involvement, in addition to providing each customer with McDonald's service.
Spencer received $500, and is now in the running to become the division Crew Person of the Year.
"We are very proud of Mary, and she keeps us feeling young," Red Bay McDonald's manager, Angela Chandler said.
Note: Ms. Spencer was out of town to be with an ill family member last week and was unavailable for comment on her award.