POWERGRAMS

43 HAPPY TRAILS M ary K. Jones' job – overseeing Anita Allcorn-Walker's calendar and scheduling her appointments and meetings – may seem routine to an outsider. But to Allcorn-Walker, nothing is further from the truth. "I would have been lost without Mary," said Allcorn- Walker, comptroller vice president. "She was my right hand and kept me on track, making sure I knew exactly where I was supposed to be at all times." Accounting Executive Secretary Jones said the niy-griy details of organizing and keeping track of a calendar is more challenging than people think. "The calendar will drive you crazy," Jones said. "There can be so many calendar conflicts. You could spend all day trying to get a meeting set up, calling people to arrange it and sending out meeting notices." Jones was also the go-to person for the assistant comptroller and Accounting managers. She oen arranged hotel reservations, scheduled meetings, wrote or formaed leers and provided any other help they needed. Jones' role went far beyond Accounting. "I always say I work for the whole Southern Company," she said. "I didn't mind helping anybody who called, no maer who they were. I might not know the answer, but I'll find someone who can help them. I never transferred anyone, and I always followed up." Jones retired June 1 aer 44 years with Alabama Power. "Mary has a true love for people and a never-quit aitude," said Allcorn- Walker, who worked with Jones for nearly 20 years. "She also demands excellent customer service from herself and everyone else. She would insist that all calls be returned promptly, all people needing appointments would be seen and that each customer would be valued as a person." When she was offered the position in 2005, Jones almost turned it down. "I didn't really want the job," she said. "But the thing is, you become stagnated and don't realize that you are. Once I decided to take the job, I began to appreciate my position and realized I could use it to help other people. The job wasn't about me personally, but it was about doing what I could to help others." A '70s Start At the suggestion of a friend, Jones applied at Alabama Power in 1975 and received a temporary position in Accounts Payable. She was hired full time within four days. Jones' responsibilities ranged from handling land and tax dras and opening mail to paying invoices and taking care of the documentation involved in completing purchase orders. In 1997, Jones moved to Corporate Accounting, where she assisted the accounts coordinator with the monthly and quarterly closing of Alabama Power's books, and pool billing, the process by which Southern Company Services bills Alabama JONES RETIRES AFTER 44 YEARS IN VARIETY OF ACCOUNTING ROLES By Carla Davis Accounting Executive Secretary Jones at her going-away party.

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