Employee retires after 62 years, continues to provide knowledge to company

Jack South worked for Caterpillar in Peoria, Ill., for 35 years before retiring for the first time. He loved working for Caterpillar so much, he came back as a rehired retiree and worked another 27 years before retiring a second time.

South worked in a sales tax position for Caterpillar from 1950 through 1985. He was hired back because of his keen knowledge of Caterpillar's business and accounting practices, as well as his deep understanding of Illinois laws and regulations.

"Jack has a phenomenal work ethic," said South's former manager, Lori Magee. "He believes every dollar he saves the company, is like saving his own money. He looks at every single invoice and goes after every single dollar."

Magee said South has saved the company millions of dollars over the years.

South, 81, said the only reason he retired in 1985 is because he hates the winters. He retired and moved to California for three months, coming back to Peoria in August. He then got a call from his former boss for a special project, which is when he came back to Caterpillar as a rehired retiree.

"I'm proud to work for Caterpillar. It's been an exciting time because you can really see when you save the company money. It's one invoice at a time," he said.

South said although he hates the winters, his wife never acclimated to California. "My desire was to be here and spend the winters in California. She never did acclimate to that and I had to make a decision whether I wanted to be in California or be married. I thought I'd rather be married," he joked.

And in that decision, Caterpillar lucked out.

"Jack is resourceful and knows where to look. He really enjoys what he does. I have never met anyone in my career that has the passion to do what he does. He's wonderful to work with and he has developed a huge amount of resources throughout the years," Magee said. "He treats every penny as if it were his own."

After giving the company 62 years in total, he retired a second time in December 2012 from the sales tax department. He continues to work part-time for JD Michael, who is leveraging his sales tax experience to provide their clients with tax-savings opportunities.

"He was known as a phenomenal asset to Caterpillar, and although he is retired, his knowledge has been captured elsewhere for Caterpillar," Magee said.

South said he plans on working as long as he is able.

"As long as I'm mentally and physically able to, I want to work. I really, truly love this job," South said.

Jack is a great representation of many Caterpillar employees who join the company and stay for a satisfying career. To start down your road to a fulfilling career, visit caterpillar.com/careers.