You’ve got mail! Or, most likely, “there is a package for pick up.”
For SCAD-Atlanta faculty, staff and students, such a message is a common pop-up on MySCAD. It always comes from Gary Owens, who is responsible for SCAD-Atlanta’s busy mail services. Filled with an assortment of packages, Owens’ office sometimes looks like the walls are made of cardboard bricks. However, he does not spend much time in the crowded space. He spends most of his work day outside, delivering and collecting mail sent to SCAD-Atlanta’s 1600 Peachtree St. address. It is a tight schedule. At 8:20 a.m., Owens begins making his rounds to the residence halls to deliver letters and small packages. After that, he returns to SCAD-Atlanta to receive all incoming packages and letters. At 10:40 a.m., he is en route to the post office to pick up student mail. In the afternoon, he has to sort all of the incoming mail, deliver part of it to each floor’s mailboxes, and notify staff and students of large packages and mail that requires a signature. Then he returns to his office for a spell, in case people come get their packages. And what about lunch?
“I often have it on the way to the post office” Owens said. His job is about more than just circulating mail, though. It also involves lots of psychology and personal relationships. Most of the time, his encounters are pleasant, he said, but once in a while, he receives angry calls from parents asking why their children haven’t received packages from them. In those cases, it’s just a matter of students not checking their boxes, Owens said.
He was not initially hired to work with SCAD-Atlanta mail. His first job was as a security guard, a position he held for eight months. At that time, security handled all mail, except admissions mail, and Owens had experience in the area — he used to work with mail when he served in the military. “I am lucky and grateful that SCAD has entrusted me to take charge of the mail room,” he said.
Curiously, this Forsyth County native’s birth name is not Gary. He is actually Willie. “Gary” comes from his middle name. Speaking of names, Owens is widely known for knowing by heart everybody’s name. But how does he do that? According to him, there is no secret. “If you come through the door and pick up a package, I just remember … Really. I would remember that person forever.”
Call that efficiency.