A visit with MCI's famous man in the hat

If MCI had a Mount Rushmore, Earl Mountain would surely be one of its faces. For 26 years, Mountain was a welcome sight at airports and train stations, ushering customers to MCI's manufacturing plants and through the delivery process in Pembina, including giving factory tours.

His signature accessory was his cowboy hat, and even new customers knew to look for it in a crowd. "I still wear a hat today," says Mountain, who retired a year and a half ago. Even more, Mountain was known for his devotion to his job, often working long hours or seven-day weeks to accommodate customers' schedules, whatever they might be.

"Joe Cyr would come in on the train at 5 a.m., and Earl would be there," says Dick Gatheridge, fellow delivery coordinator who still works out of Pembina. "If a customer wanted to come in on a Sunday, Earl would be there. If a customer was coming in at 10:30, he'd be there at 9:00. He was always ready to go."

Gatheridge also describes his former coworker as witty and a character, someone who could get along with almost anyone and who never forgot a joke. He says they made a good team — he liked to coordinate, while Mountain enjoyed getting out behind the wheel and hobnobbing with the customers. Says Gatheridge, "I miss him."

Mountain is more modest in describing what he gave to MCI. He relishes his memories of picking up customers, answering their questions and joking with them during the ride to Pembina or over dinner. He knows his picture hangs in the offices of some of the biggest operators in the industry, as well as some of the smallest. "MCI was the best time of my life," says Mountain, who farmed and drove school buses before he came to MCI. "I met so many people. It was amazing."

Among the highlights of his career was a personal trip to Houston that coincided with an industry trade show, during which it quickly became apparent that he knew more customers than just about anyone at MCI. He continues to relish the relationships he formed, both with customers and with other employees.

Today, even in retirement, Earl Mountain still has coaches on his mind, and on his property — he maintains a sizable collection of well-displayed bus memorabilia, which he's always happy to show off to visitors. He and his wife still live in Cavalier, west of Pembina, and he still runs his family farm, which keeps him both active and busy.

Earl is flattered that his customers still ask about him. "I'd like to say thanks to all of the customers. I miss them, and the people I worked with, and I'd tell them keep up the good work."

The feeling is widely reciprocated.

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