West Linn UPS driver retiring after 31 years

What your local UPS delivery guy knows about you may scare you. Details, from where you live, to where you shop and what you wear (or don't wear) when you answer your door.

And don't even begin to think that he will forget.

Scott Galloway, 50, has a knack for remembering faces, names, addresses and every little detail about what he delivers to your home or business.

Just sitting in Starbucks, Galloway can tick off customers' names, spouses' names and their addresses. It would be frightening if he wasn't such a nice guy.

Sadly, Galloway will be hanging up his brown uniform July 13. He is retiring after working for UPS for 31 years.

Opportunity knocks

It's funny how opportunity knocks when you least expect it.

When Galloway was 18 years old, a friend of his father called looking for one of his two older brothers. When they weren't home, he offered a job working part-time at UPS to Galloway. When Galloway learned it paid $10 an hour compared to the $2.35 he had been making, he jumped at the chance.

He stayed in that position, loading trucks from 2 to 8 a.m., for 10 years. During that time he attended real estate school and worked as a real estate agent from 1985 to 1990.

In 1990, a full-time position at UPS opened driving trucks and Galloway vied for the position. He drove a variety of routes in Beaverton, Hillsboro and Forest Grove for five years until a West Linn route opened up. He jumped at the chance of driving in the town where he lives.

"It was a great opportunity to live and work in my hometown," Galloway said. "Being able to go home for lunch allowed me to do some yard work, walk my dog or just hit the couch."

In the last 22 years, Galloway has learned his route and the people along the way like the back of his hand.

"One aspect of working for UPS is that it creates a huge memory bank of people and addresses. Addresses of houses never change, but the people do. Like the movie ‘Rainman,' I can name almost every address on my route of approximately 5,000 homes."

His route includes the Barrington Heights, Sunset, Bolton, Hidden Springs, Rosemont and Summit neighborhoods. His route is one of the most-hated among drivers because of all the hills and stairs, but it has helped keep Galloway fit.

"You get to see a lot of people and the vast variety of businesses they have in West Linn," he said.

Warm welcomes

Galloway said everyone is always happy to see his truck stop in front of their houses, because everyone likes receiving a package. And he has his canned responses for the No. 1 question he is asked: "What is it?"

He has his favorite homes and businesses to visit on his route, but perhaps his favorite is Three Rivers Charter School.

Back in 2004, the Tidings wrote a story about Galloway and a truck he was driving that had NASCAR flames painted on it. The day after the paper came out, Galloway made a delivery to the school. When he came in, Principal Katherine Holtzgrave pulled him in front of the room and continued to read the article to the students. The kids loved it.

"I was so embarrassed. After reading the story, all the kids gave me a standing ovation," Galloway said.

Since that day, whenever Galloway makes a delivery at the school, the students stop whatever they are doing and clap for him. It's been eight years and the original students are long gone, but now it is just tradition to clap whenever the UPS guy comes.

"The kids just loved to see him and this was a way that they could communicate their care for him," Holtgraves said. "This clapping continued each year through each visit Scott made to the school. It provided a great way for them to recognize him and hopefully make his day a bit brighter."

Because the kids clap, Galloway feels the need to entertain them, whether its by wearing a mask or funny hat, doing the moonwalk, breakdancing or dancing a little jig.

He has even played the game "stump the UPS man" with the students, challenging them to give him their last names so he could recite their addresses. Or they could give an address and he could tell them the last name of the homeowner.

"Scott came in and started to recognize kids - by their address. He knew the cars that their parents drove, their pets and the names of their pets, their addresses and when he last saw them out on the street. The kids were staggered!" Holtgraves said.

To explain his "talent" for memory, Galloway taught the students some of this methods to remember things.

"I'm really going to miss those kids and that school; they sure do make my job well worth it," he said.

Galloway visited the students one last time on the last day of school to say goodbye. To his surprise, they threw him a mini retirement party, complete with 31 gold dollar coins and applause.

"The people are what make my job all worthwhile. They have become family to me. I catch a glimpse of everyone's life in short snapshots every day. I've seen children grow up and get married, have families and become successful. That's when I say to myself, ‘I must be getting old,'" Galloway said.

Scare of a lifetime

"Safety is one of UPS's main concerns. We are well-trained on how to avoid injuries, however, over time, the human body tends to wear out. I have had my share of slips and falls over the years," Galloway said.

Recently, Galloway learned he has two degenerative disks in his neck, which cause him a lot of pain and are one of the reasons he is retiring. However, he got a major scare during the holiday season of 2010. What he thought was the flu escalated to pneumonia and a lengthy hospital stay. A clot had formed in his throat that broke free and caused a pulmonary embolism.

He later learned that 95 percent of people die from pulmonary embolism but, because he was so fit from his job, his body responded better than most.

"I spent a week in ICU and was told I am extremely lucky to be alive. I lost 20 pounds in about 10 days and was off work for three months," he said.

When he returned home, he found more than 100 cards and drawings from the staff and students at Three Rivers.

"To this day, each one of those cards is taped to the walls inside my UPS truck to remind me daily that I'm a survivor, life is precious and to just be thankful for what I have been given," Galloway said.

Trading in the browns

Galloway is going to return to real estate in his retirement, as he knows West Linn better than most - including the best homes and neighborhoods.

"This would allow me to stay in touch with all my favorite customers and help them find the home of their dreams. There are so many high-quality neighborhoods in West Linn that I can assist buyers and sellers in finding," he said.

Galloway is also working on a book, a collection of anecdotes from UPS workers, from dog attacks to uncomfortable deliveries. To contribute to his collection, visit ScottyGalloway.com.

Galloway's last day on the job will be July 13, and he is looking to go out in a big way. He is throwing a big party and inviting all of his customers. Paying tribute to his heritage and the man who first hired him, Galloway is hosting a Scottish affair, complete with kilts, a bagpipe and highland dancing. Local musician Jerome Couture will also be playing.

Galloway said the party will be an opportunity for him to actually talk to people for more than the typical 15 to 20 seconds he does while he is working.

The party will be held July 15 at Oswego Hills Winery, located at 450 Rosemont Road in West Linn, from 1 to 5 p.m. All of Galloway's customers and friends are invited.