Pam Parks enjoys her
retirement cake at Pagliacci

Pioneer In Disabled Workforce Retires

06/30/2006

Pam Parks is a pioneer in the Seattle workforce. 25 years ago, she started working at Pagliacci Pizza, busing tables. This week Pam celebrates her retirement. Her bosses say Pam was one of the first people with Down syndrome to work in the public eye. As KUOW’s Phyllis Fletcher reports, she’s also part of the first generation of people with Down syndrome to face retirement.

PAM PARKS IS 48 YEARS OLD. SHE HAS WORKED AT PAGLIACCI PIZZA ON UNIVERSITY WAY FOR 25 YEARS. YOU’D THINK SHE’D HAVE A FEW WAR STORIES. BUT YOU’D BE WRONG.

PAM: "I didn’t have a bad day. I just do my job."

AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS, SHE KNEW HER JOB WELL.

PAM: "Bussing, dusting, you know, sweeping, and I do all the laundry."

PAM’S JOB WAS HER LIFE. SHE LOVED EVERY DAY OF IT. SO WHY IS SHE RETIRING?

PAM: "Uhh. . . I really don’t know." [laughter]

HER PARENTS LAUGH WITH HER IN THE BACKGROUND. SHERI AND ELMER. THE THREE OF THEM LIVE TOGETHER IN A QUIET CUL-DE-SAC IN MILL CREEK.

SHERI TELLS A HAPPY STORY ABOUT WHY IT’S TIME FOR PAM TO RETIRE. PAM HAS WORKED HARD AND DESERVES TO HAVE FUN. ELMER STARTS TO SAY PAM’S MOTOR SKILLS HAVE DECREASED. SHERI TELLS PAM TO GO WATCH T-V. SHE WAITS. THEN SHERI GOES ON TO DESCRIBE HOW PAM USED TO BE.

SHERI: "Her memory was very, very sharp. For years and years she was the one in the family that had the best memory. She would remind us. And her memory has slipped some. And she has slowed down, like I say. She, um, used to be very quick, and now she’s slowed down."

PEOPLE AT WORK SAW PAM CHANGE TOO.

JASON: "We’d noticed that she just didn’t seem as energetic as she used to be."

THAT’S JASON CHEUNG. PAM’S BOSS AT PAGLIACCI FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS. AND HER FAVORITE WORK BUDDY. JASON AND PAM USED TO CHAT THE MORNING AWAY AS THEY GOT READY TO OPEN THE STORE.

EARLIER THIS YEAR, JASON NOTICED PAM WAS MOVING SLOWLY. HE CALLED HER PARENTS. EVENTUALLY, THEY AGREED IT WAS TIME FOR PAM TO STOP WORKING.

WHEN PAM CAME IN THE NEXT WEEK, JASON BROUGHT IT UP. PAM SAID YES, SHE WAS GOING TO RETIRE.

JASON: "You know, I told her I was gonna miss her, and then started crying a little bit, and then I had to go. I didn’t want to cry in front of her, so I went and did it in the office."

PAGLIACCI HIRED PAM IN 1981. SHE WAS PART OF A NEW PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON TO TRAIN PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES FOR RESTAURANT WORK. NOBODY GUESSED IT WOULD WORK OUT FOR 25 YEARS. THERE WAS NO TRACK RECORD. BACK THEN, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES DIDN’T WORK IN THE PUBLIC EYE.

AND: AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR PEOPLE WITH DOWN SYNDROME WAS ONLY 25. NOW IT’S 49.

HEARTFIELD: "I don’t think doctors, employment specialists, agencies in general, expected this or foresaw this."

THAT’S SCOTT HEARTFIELD. HE’S PAM’S CASE WORKER WITH THE U-W EMPLOYMENT TRAINING PROGRAM. HE SAYS PEOPLE WITH DOWN SYNDROME ARE WORKING, AND LIVING LONGER. BUT THE FLIP SIDE: ABOUT HALF OF THOSE PEOPLE SHOW SIGNS OF ALZHEIMER’S BY THE TIME THEY’RE 50.

HEARTFIELD: "In some cases, quite rapidly. Within a year or two. Something they’ve done for 25 years or longer may become challenging for them as they start reaching 50 years old."

HEARTFIELD SAYS EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS FOR DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED PEOPLE ARE DEALING WITH RETIREMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME. HE ENCOURAGES PARENTS TO DO WHAT SHERI AND ELMER HAVE DONE. THEY’VE ENROLLED PAM IN ART CLASSES, AND THEY’RE LOOKING FOR MORE THINGS FOR HER TO DO.

PAM WILL MISS JASON, AND HER CUSTOMERS. BUT SHE LIKES THE IDEA OF MAKING ART ALL DAY. IT REMINDS HER OF BEING A KID. SHE’D BE HAPPY IF SHE COULD START LIFE ALL OVER AGAIN.

PAM: "If I’d be a kid, play with my dolls, and color, too. And I’d have fun."

PAM PARKS RETIRES AS THE MOST SENIOR EMPLOYEE OF PAGLIACCI PIZZA. SHE WAS ONCE HONORED AS A WASHINGTON STATE RESTAURANT WORKER OF THE YEAR. PHYLLIS FLETCHER, KUOW NEWS.

© Copyright 2006, KUOW