Ozarks Profile: Pat Loveland

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Pat Loveland|ret||ret||tab|

Switchboard operator, city of Springfield, 840 Boonville. The city of Springfield was incorporated in 1838. The 1840 Census gave the area a population of 5,372. In 1916, the citizens of Springfield adopted a charter electing the first mayor and city commissioners. In 1953, the city adopted the city council/city manager form of government, which is used today. In 1992, the city administrative offices moved from City Hall at 830 Boonville to the Busch Building. Loveland serves as the central phone operator for the city and greets and assists visitors entering the building. She has operated the city switchboard for more than 28 years, and is an employee of the city's public information office. PIO was developed in 1989 to provide information to the general public and local media, and to serve as a resource to the community. The office works with each city department to plan and promote special events and coordinate the release of the daily news. PIO is also responsible for developing brochures, videos, the city's Internet presence and other informational materials about city government.|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Age: 65|bold_on||bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|No. of years in Springfield/area: Loveland has spent all but six years of her life in Springfield. She lived in Richmond, Calif. during World War II for nine months, spent one year in Independence and 4 1/2 years in Kansas City. |bold_on||bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Education: Loveland graduated from Central High School and attended Southwest Missouri State University for two years. |bold_on||bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Early career: "My first real' job was at age 16 at Evans Drug Store, where the state licensing office is now, on the square. I worked there all the way through high school. I started as a sacker and was a cashier when I quit. I worked from 1954 to 1971 at Heer's Department Store part-time and then later full-time as the telephone operator. I worked for the state licensing office from 1955 to 1957 as a cashier. From 1954 to 1957, I was a square dancer on the Ozark Jubilee. We practiced at night and did the national television show on Saturdays with Red Foley. I've also sold everything from menswear to soup, including reducing machines and Amway. The last 15 years have been the only time I've held only one job. I prefer government work to private enterprise," Loveland said. She started working for the city in 1971 and had planned to retire this summer, but changed her mind and decided to stay awhile longer. |bold_on||bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Current projects: "Customer service is my primary concern at the city." |ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Work philosophy: "Treat people the way I want to be treated. I try to put people at ease basically, people are shy and hate to ask questions or appear dumb. Going the extra mile to help them is very important. Figuring out what the customer needs and getting them to the right office is sometimes a challenge, but I enjoy my job and feel lucky to work at something I really like."|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Spare-time pursuits: "I bowl in a league and play golf in a city league. I love Lady Bears basketball and have season tickets. I'd rather watch a ball game of any kind than a sitcom."|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Family data: Loveland has three grown children and four grandchildren.|ret||ret||tab|

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