Mona Zipay was there almost from the beginning when her boss decided to become an independent insurance adjuster (理算员) in 1955.
Fifty-eight years later, she decided it was time to retire from Dorner Adjustment Co. "I love what I did." said Zipay, 83, of Whitney Point. New York. "I still do. But it's time to stay at home now. "
The secretary has helped customers through natural disasters and fires. She has lived longer than her boss John M. Dorner and remembers when women were not allowed to wear pants to work. Not only has she used manual typewriters, electric typewriters and computers, but she's also adapted to a wave of technology so she could type out reports sent to insurers.
But what has served her well through the years has been her typing and customer service skills, said MaryAnn Dorner. daughter-in-law of John Dorner. "She's an excellent typist," MaryAnn Dorner said. "She's accurate and she's fast.M She's professional on the phones, keeping a good temper when dealing with irate customers, said Patrick Dorner. who now operates the company.
Dorner Adjusting wasn't the only place Zipay worked. She graduated from high school in 1951, taking business courses because she knew she would not be able to afford college and didn't want to work in a factory.
John Dorner invited her to his new company in 1955 from the General Adjustment Bureau in downtown Binghamton, New York. There they had worked together until John Dorner decided to become an independent agent.
Now, Zipay wears pants but always dresses professionally.
"That was one of the things that impressed me about her," MaryAnn Dorner said. "She's always dressed up."
