Tjelmeland has been wearing brown five days a week for the past 36 years as the uniform requirement for all drivers with UPS. Friday, Aug. 28, is the last official day of work at UPS for Tjelmeland, 60, who has lived in Nevada for 18 years and who has driven the company's main Nevada route for 32 years.
A graduate of NESCO High School, Tjelmeland said he had taken a job with the Sinclair fertilizer company in McCallsburg. He worked for the company part time while he was still a student, and then full time after he graduated. He also attended DMACC after his high school graduation.
He worked full time for only two years at Sinclair, when the opportunity at UPS came along. "Sinclair was looking to merge with other companies, and they were eliminating departments," Tjelmeland said. "I thought maybe I could get into something else. I wanted to go into (full-time) farming, but that didn't work out like I had planned."
The local UPS driver, who came into Sinclair in McCallsburg, told Tjelmeland to "go down and apply" at UPS. "About a year later, I got hired."
While full-time farming didn't work out as a career for Tjelmeland, he has always worked part time on his father's farm near McCallsburg, and now, he is responsible for the 200 acres of land that is farmed there.
"I've had to take vacations to do the farming," he said, "but now with retirement, I won't have to take vacations to do it." Tjelmeland said he'll continue with the farm work and eventually, he may even consider another part-time job... "something to keep me occupied," said this man, who admits he doesn't like idle time.
When he first started at UPS, Tjelmeland said he drove an Ames route for four years, and then the Nevada area came up for bid. He bid on it, and with seniority over others bidding at the time, he got it, and he said he's never regretted taking the Nevada route, because he's thoroughly enjoyed it.
"When I first started delivering over here (in Nevada), I had the whole town and the rural routes. 1982 was the last year I had the rural routes, and then about three or four years later, they had to put another person in Nevada to help with making deliveries."
The delivery business has gotten busier during Tjelmeland's years, and he's seen other changes. The biggest change, he said, came with next-day air operations. "When that came in, it put more stress on us as far as getting those delivered on time. There's a 10:30 (a.m.) commit time. Usually, you get it done just under the wire. It's a lot more stressful."
One thing that has made the job easier, Tjelmeland said, is the handheld computer device that each UPS driver carries for people to sign. Tjelmeland said it has been nice not to have to carry all the paperwork anymore, and deal with problems, like the paperwork getting wet in the rain.
As for his Nevada route, Tjelmeland has been in the driver's seat, watching the town change through the years. "I've seen a lot of changes in town; a lot of businesses that have come and gone. I remember Al's Shoes, which was there for years; and Ambrose's and Lyle's Clothing store and a time when there were three pharmacies uptown, along with the dime store."
Now, Tjelmeland will turn the route over to another driver, someone who he hopes will enjoy the town as much as he has. "I have mixed emotions (about retiring), because I will miss all my customers. They've grown to know me as one of them, and they could almost set their clocks by me."
Tjelmeland said he's watched a lot of people grow up over the years. "Kids that I'd seen when I first started are now married and have kids."
"I've made a lot of good friends, and close friends. It's gonna be tough for awhile," he said, and then with a smile, he notes that he'll also have to adjust to not getting up at a certain time to dress in brown and head to work.
As Tjelmeland has told his customers about his impending retirement, he said they have told him they will miss him and his short visits. Tjelmeland said the company asks drivers not to spend more than three minutes on any stop, but lots of times, he said, he's in for 30 seconds and gone, but he's always friendly. The friendliness isn't a company requirement; it's just Tjelmeland's nature.
To show Tjelmeland how much the community will miss him, one couple, business owners Jeanne and Mike Coverdale, will hold a community farewell coffee for Carrol on Wednesday, Aug. 12, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at their business on West K Avenue in Nevada's west business park, off of Airport Road.
Tjelmeland's family will also hold a farewell reception for him on Friday, Aug. 28, starting at 4:30 p.m. at the Branding Iron in Nevada.
Carrol's family includes his wife, Karen, who works at General Financial in Nevada; and their children, two daughters: Korine Nelson of Des Moines and Kari Pecenka of Cummings; two sons: Brent Tjelmeland of Atkins and Chad Nelson of Granger; and three grandchildren: Ryan, Owen and Stella.
In addition to his farm work and a possible part-time job, Tjelmeland said he will spend some of his retirement time fixing up toy tractors and tinkering with other projects. And most importantly, he won't be wearing brown!
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