Photo by Samantha Davis: Mary (left) and Jim (right) Mortland are the current longest-serving employees at Southwest Minnesota State University with over 80 years combined in business services. The two grew up around Marshall, and married in September 1988.

MARSHALL — The Mortland family of Marshall has given over eight decades of employment to Southwest Minnesota State University, led by the two current longest-serving university employees, Jim and Mary Mortland.

“We’ve seen a lot of people come and go, and retire. It’s hard to believe, for me, that we are the two longest-lasting people out here,” Mary said. “85 years combined, our family has worked for SMSU.”

Jim first came to SMSU at 23 years old in July of 1981, and Mary followed shortly behind in October of 1984 when she was 21. The two have worked in business services the entirety of their careers, with Jim in accounts payable and Mary as a university accountant.

While Jim has worked at SMSU for 43 years, and Mary for 40, their son Zach Mortland, also worked as a Graduate Assistant for the Athletic Department for two years during his studies.

“He (Zach) just recently, back in January, got a job at Pacific University out in Oregon. So, we are now empty nesters,” Jim said. “Our daughter, Malia (Mortland), lives in Lynd and she works at U.S. Bank. Her and her kids are still around.”

Jim grew up in Tracy and studied for two years at the University of Minnesota Morris before finishing his accounting degree at the Granite Falls Vocational School, at the time. Mary, a native of Iona, a small town near Slayton, got her accounting degree from Minnesota State University Mankato.

“I got involved with a program (during school) … They got me out here (SMSU) to get some experience,” Jim said. “Lucky break for me, is one of the guys in the office was leaving. We had to take tests to qualify, where today you just apply for a job. I had taken the test for account clerk … This guy left, and they offered that position to me.”

Jim said from there, he eventually moved into more of an accounting role after a coworker retired, and then later got into the accounts payable position, where he’s been since.

Mary said she came in originally working in accounts payable, until an accountant moved to a different position, and she filled the role and hasn’t moved since.

The Mortlands met one another in the office, when Mary came in three years after Jim started.

“I would run into people from time to time, who would find out we work together. They say, ‘I don’t think I could work with my wife all day long.’ But, this is the world we knew,” Jim said. “I obviously enjoy working with my wife in the same office.”

Jim and Mary got married in September of 1988.

“It was always nice for me (working together), because you always have someone,” Mary said. “I’ve liked it. I don’t know any different. I don’t know what it’s like to say goodbye to my husband in the morning.”

The Mortlands acknowledged that through their time sharing the same office, they’ve created boundaries in separating work and home.

“One of the nice things about it was, we would talk throughout the day, work-related and non-work related,” Jim said. “We came home at night, and we didn’t have that obligation to talk about, ‘How was your day?’ Because, we already knew that.”

“We needed to be aware of the fact that we didn’t live in this place (work), 24/7, because you could have lived your work day for four hours after you got home,” Mary added. “We needed to leave home when we got here, and leave work when we got home.”

Although both in business services, the two do separate jobs and Mary has also transitioned to teleworking the last few years, to which she said she enjoys.

“Even now, there are obviously days when I wish she was in the office,” Jim said. “I understand her desire to be home, I would never make a deal about it. But for me, sometimes it’s like, ‘I kind of wish Mary was in the office today.'”

Jim briefly teleworked during the COVID-19 Pandemic, but still had to frequently come to campus to run checks, and noted that he still prefers to work in-person for the interaction and access to physical copies of records.

During their time at SMSU, the Mortlands have gone through an ample amount of changes, with an office that started with 18 employees and has since been cut in half due to the rise of technology.

“When I started, we didn’t even have a computer on our desk. We still typed checks on a typewriter … They would key punch everything in. It’s very different than it is now, I don’t use a piece of paper much (now),” Mary said. “We used to put in long days. I mean, we’d start at 8 a.m., and it’d sometimes be 9 or 10 at night before we would be done with lines (of students needing help). They would be into the next building for students.”

“I’m still old school … I like having a copy of the invoice on paper on my desk, rather than just looking at other computers,” Jim added. “(For registration), kids would be lined up all the way down for miles (to pay their bills). Now most of them pay online, so you don’t see as many kids coming to the windows as we used to see.”

Outside of the office, Jim and Mary said they enjoy spending time with family and grandchildren, while Jim also enjoys music and sports.

When it comes to reasons why the Mortlands have stuck around the area, it comes down to the close-knit community and enjoyment for the job.

“I think part of it was that our families were still in the area,” Jim said. “For me, I’ve never been a big fan of the cities … To me, it’s (Marshall) like the perfect size. I still prefer this. I prefer four seasons, and I prefer this rural farming atmosphere.”

“I grew up in Iona, but my parents would eventually move to their lake home on Lake Shetek,” Mary said. “They left the lake home for us kids. It’s nice being here, and that’s only a half an hour away.”

While four decades into the job, both Jim and Mary humorously bounced off one another while agreeing they both have more to give.

“It’s a small group in the office, but I get along with all of them,” Jim said. “I’m happy. I’m not ready to retire yet.”

“Not yet, but I’m guessing the time will come down the road,” Mary said. “But, it’s only been 40 years. I love my job, too.”