Fayetteville

City Clerk Judy Stephens used to know each one of the city's 500 water

customers and where they all lived.

And when Stephens

first started working for the city part-time 25 years ago, there weren't

any computers, either. She's not about to give up the technology, but

should it fail ...

"If this

thing went down today, I could still do the job," Stephens said,

tapping the keyboard to her PC. "But these other folks wouldn't know

what to do."

Stephens is

celebrating her 25th year with the city after starting on as a part-time

clerk who was hired by then-city manager John Lester. She has worked in

every department for the city ... before there were even separate departments,

Stephens points out.

Even the police

department? Well, they didn't exactly let Judy go out and issue citations,

but when the police clerk went on vacation, Stephens filled in for her.

"We did

everything zoning, council meetings, water, building permits," said

Stephens, who has also worked for eight different city managers and three

different mayors.

"I could

write a book, but I'd have to change the names to protect the guilty,"

Stephens joked.

All 25 years

haven't been the smoothest of sailing there was that council meeting that

lasted until 2 a.m. and "we've had some dillys" Stephens says.

But she still loves her job and takes pride in providing a service and

helping citizens.

"The city

has been really good to me," Stephens said. "And I love the

people I work with. We've got really good people here."

Stephens is

known for her pleasant personality and the occasional practical joke --

such as the coffin placed in the office of City Manager Joe Morton on

the occasion of his 40th birthday.

Perhaps this

is what you expect from a woman who grew up ... and has moved back ...

to a place called Sunnyside, Ga. in Spalding County.

"We moved

it in from Mowell's (Funeral Home), an old pine box type coffin,"

Stephens recalled. " We brought it in after he left work that day.

When he came in the next morning I really thought he was going to die."

Morton agreed

that Judy got him good with the coffin stunt. But city employees got even

with a surprise slide show honoring and poking fun of Stephens at last

week's City Council meeting.

"She didn't

know that was coming at all ," Morton said.

Stephens also

remembers a time when Mike Wheat was mayor that the city treated its Christmas

party as an opportunity to "roast" and poke fun of the city's

department heads.

All kidding

aside, Morton says one of Stephens' best qualities is her effort to provide

customer service to not only her co-workers but the citizens of Fayetteville

also.

"There's

also her knowledge of the city and all the departments," Morton said.

"She's a great resource to have."

Stephens will

be eligible for retirement next summer. But she loves her job and makes

it sound as if she's not going anywhere.

Morton, for

one, hopes she sticks around.

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